


Into The woods

by masochistfox



Series: Into the woods [1]
Category: Boyfriend to Death (Visual Novels)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Death, Guro, M/M, Parasites, Plants, Poison, Poisoning, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-02-06 13:35:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12818661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masochistfox/pseuds/masochistfox
Summary: A multi part fanfiction following my MC Basil Woodrow. He's an insomniac, shy wildlife photographer who finds himself in a mysterious uncharted forest where he becomes entangled in his own horror story.Will feature a lot of Lawrence in later chapters and there will be NSFW scenes featuring them, including sexual and gore.





	1. Prologue

__

 

_-Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick-_

The second hand of the clock counted down the minutes as Basil sat thinking. Not about anything in particular, just whiling away the time as he waited for the clock to read 2 AM. That was the perfect time to go out in his opinion. The moon would be beginning it’s slow descent through the sky and the soft morning dew would begin to accumulate on the crisp winter grass.

Perfect.

Finally the near silence was broken with a deep sigh as it made it’s way past his lips. He hoisted himself off the small, sparse bed and unzipped his camera bag. He counted his lens flashes, his film and made sure the batteries were still charged. He enjoyed his job as a freelance photographer, even though his preferred target was not something most desired.

Most people requested flowers or wildlife and while he enjoyed taking nice pictures of cute, frolicking squirrels and freshly bloomed honeydew, it just wasn’t interesting enough to him. His favored subject was something a bit more… still.

He looked back to the clock.

1:45 AM.

He supposed now would be a fine time to leave if any. It was going to be quite a walk to where he was heading anyway. He snatched up his soft green scarf and tossed his camera equipment over his arm and headed out the door, double checking and then triple checking to make sure he locked it on his way out. Then a quick check to make sure he had his keys and then quickly unlocking the door and peering in once more to make sure the stove was off, after which, he was on his way.


	2. Into the woods

The soft, inviting crunch of remaining fall leaves and dried grass resonated in Basil’s ears as he trudged through the dense forest. He had found this place on accident one day, scouting for areas to photograph. It looked as if no one ever came here, deserted and quiet, nary the sound of any living creature. It was a sanctuary. Last he had been here he hadn’t had much time to explore, this was all going to be a new experience.

He had thought back to the forest many times since he found it, planning to go back.

Tonight was his night to enjoy the solitude. Slowly the melodious sound of water filled the air as he pushed aside some dense brush.  
He made his way towards the sound and found himself near a long, glistening stream near a small waterfall. The moonlight shone upon the water like silver scales, illuminating the clearing. Basil shot a quick picture before something caught his eye.

The deer must not have been dead for very long, still showing vitality in it’s fur and musculature. It’s eye’s were gone however, as if eaten away by something and sprouting out from it’s middle was a long, rope like vine. It’s stalk split into multiple stems, each ending in a glowing bulb. It seemed to be emitting a low ringing sound, similar to tiny bells in the wind.

He raised his camera and took multiple shots in the dark, then screwed on a flash bulb. The flash lit up the surrounding area in a quick, blinding light eliciting a sudden, higher pitched ringing from the vine. Basil’s hand shot to his ears in an attempt to block out the sound, his eyes examined the now writhing plant matter.

The sound slowly dwindled down to a quiet hum as the vines uncurled from around themselves. Intrigued, Basil slowly reached a hand towards one of the many bulbs, his finger tips lightly brushing against it. It curled slowly around his outstretched index finger, seeming to be feeling for something. The thin vine finally reached his wrist and settled upon his vein, his pulse gently moving it up and down.

Suddenly the plant recoiled away from his, leaving thin cuts down his hand in the process. He hissed in pain as he grabbed his hand to stop the bleeding and maybe quell the intense, burning sensation overtaking his arm. He dropped to his knees, and looked towards the carcass, the plant hidden deep inside.

The pain slowly subsided and he scooted closer to peer inside the deep, cavernous wound. Hovering close enough to smell the decay, the next sensation he felt was being shoved back onto the ground behind, his breath being cut off by the vines quickly ensnaring him. His fingers dug into his skin as he attempted in vain to claw off the plant, his vision fading in and out with his lack of oxygen.

Searing pain suddenly snapped him back to reality as the plant began pushing itself through the tender skin on his neck. He could feel the thin intruders pushing and prodding underneath his skin, worming their way deeper and deeper into his body. The pain was overwhelming as he pulled at the vines digging into his veins, trying to remove them. They slowly disappeared into his flesh and he could feel them inside him. His screams bounced off the dense, wooded walls and died amongst the trees.  
No one would hear him this far out and he doubted anyone would even care if they could.

Eventually his voice ran hoarse and he looked down at his bleeding finger tips. The tiny barbs of the plant had ripped away layers of skin, leaving his hands raw and burning. As he stared, he could see the vines under his skin, wriggling around like thin worms burrowing into the ground.

The feeling of screaming welled up inside him once again, but only came out as a pathetic, scratchy sob. He sat, crying for what felt like eternity until he ran out of tears. He grabbed his camera bag and carefully made his way back to his car, his hands burning and his body feeling as if it was not his own, foreign and strange.


	3. Home and Gardens

The setting sun shone vibrantly in the small apartment window, illuminating the walls in hues of pink and purple. Basil rolled over softly, grumbling gently in his half awake stupor. His fingers found their way to his face as he attempted to satiate the tickling feeling rolling down his cheek. His nails slid down his face, slippery from the foreign liquid now slicking his hands.

Basil rubbed his fingers together in an attempt to further understand the situation. Slowly, reason made it’s way to his foggy brain and jolted him upright, tossing his face mask from his eyes. Peering down, his vision was blurred and distorted, one side of his vision completely dark. The sun glinted off the unmistakable scarlet fluid smeared across his bandaged hands.

His breathing grew heavy as he darted for his bathroom. His one good eye widened in horror as he looked in the mirror. In lieu of his right eye was a tangle of green vines, mottled with red blood stains. His hand shook as he brought it closer to the socket, grazing the plant matter gently with his finger tips. A small humming sound emitted gently in his head, the sound reverberating against his skull as the vines twisted gently, finding a different resting place.

“It…. It wasn’t a dream…” Basil finally managed to squeak out as he studied himself more in the mirror. The small lacerations in his neck where the plant forced it’s way in were still present, only now a tiny bit of the plant peeked out from the holes. His skin looked sallow and gaunt, a slight hint of green tinting his usually pale skin. His black hair had grown to a shade of dark green as well, giving the appearance of moss.

“… Maybe… Maybe there’s something to get rid of this thing… weed killer or something…” He murmured to himself. He felt his body tense slightly out of his control, as if the plant could understand his intention. He looked back at himself in the reflection, realizing he would definitely stand out like this.

Searching his bedroom he managed to find a thick, black choker and a medical eye patch left over from back when he almost lost an eye when a lawnmower launched a rock at him. Ironic, now, he thought as he slipped it over his face. He tied the choker next, making sure the vine was tucked underneath. He could feel them inside, wriggling around, trying to find the light. Eventually they settled down and began a gentle ringing as they laid dormant.

After running his usual lock checks, he headed towards his car and towards the nearest home and garden store.

It was late, almost ten PM when he finally made it to the store. It was going to close in an hour so he had to make this fast and the sooner this thing was out of his body, the better. He wandered around the aisles, enjoying the warm smell of fiber boards and other construction materials. It was an inviting smell, one that felt like a soft hug in the morning or something you could wrap around you to feel safe. Basil never had many excuses to come here, but he savored it every time.

Eventually he made it to the garden section, walls of ferns and wind chimes littered the small area. He walked past rows of sheers and other pruning devices then past gloves and strange garden statues. It felt like he had circled the aisles 5 times until he came to the conclusion he had no idea where anything was. Walking through he noticed there was only one other person in the section looking at the pruning selection.

He walked up cautiously, attempting to pretend to be looking at a pair of interesting, blue sheers as he inched his way closer to the man. He was tall, seeming more than a foot taller than himself, his shoulder length, blonde hair tied back in a secure, low ponytail. His clothing looked warm and comfortable, a light grey hoodie over what appeared to be a red flannel nightshirt and a pair of faint blue sweatpants.

Basil inched slightly closer and the man took notice, glancing quickly down at him and then inching away slightly, his shoulders visibly tensing up. Basil quickly looked away and held his breath, trying to remain still as he stared directly in front of him at the various gardening tools. Both men remained motionless, as if waiting for the other to make a move. The air felt thick and time felt like eternity.

Finally the taller man broke the silence by gently sighing, his hand reaching towards a pair of smaller pruning sheers and promptly turning away to leave.

“Ah..! Wait..!” Basil managed to stammer, stopping the man in his tracks. Basil slowly approached him, wringing his hands together anxiously. “I… I’ve never really… been in this section and I… can’t seem to find something…” His voice cracked as he spoke, sweat accumulating on his brow. “I’m looking for… something to kill a… a weed…”.

The man finally turned around, his icy blue eyes glinting in the harsh florescent lighting. He seemed just as nervous as Basil, his hands holding the sheers tighter, his knuckles turning slightly white.

“Weed killer…?” He asked questionably. Basil nodded, his soft, green hair falling in his face. “I…. I think that’s over there..” He removed a hand from the sheers to point towards a further part of the area. Basil could see bags of fertilizer stacked upon large wooden pallets. “The weed killer is mixed in with the fertilizer…” His voice was hushed and steady, as if he was unsure if he should even be talking to him. “I find it a bit irritating that they are not more careful in their organization of items…. I’ve bought the wrong one before in the confusion…”.

“I’m sorry about that…” Basil lamented, earning a slight smile from the taller, strange man. They shared a brief silence, both unsure of what to do next.

“It’s ok… Things die… quite often in my experiences. It’s hard to hold on to something for very long before it disappears… It’s best not to grow attached to any one thing. It all withers away to nothing in the end.” The blonde man’s voice was cold and even as he mused on about death, he seemed to be calmed by the thought of things dying. Basil shifted uncomfortably, unsure if he should join in on the one sided conversation.

“Ah… Thank you for your help..” He finally chimed, head bowing slightly in gratitude. As if snapping out of some trance, the stranger mumbled out a response that Basil couldn’t quite make out as the man retreated towards the check out counters. He sighed, his heart felt as if it was stopped for the entirety of the conversation and now that he was gone, it felt like it was going a hundred miles an hour.

He shuffled through the different bags, making sure to read the labels carefully as he searched for something that could kill, hopefully, vines. Eventually he settled on a smaller bag of ‘Super Kill X’, the letters were some kind of spiky, bright orange font and the intended uses were ‘Kills all vines and pesky weeds, do not use near livestock’. He quickly checked out and headed for home, Hoping this nightmare would be over soon.


	4. Weed Killer

Basil sat in his kitchen staring at the bag of poison as he rubbed his hands together nervously. He had read the instructions front to back, but nowhere on the bag did it have information about his current problem. He attempted to search online for information on the plant, but couldn’t find anything. It was like it didn’t exist, or maybe it was an undiscovered species. He would be more excited about that fact if it wasn’t using his body as a planter.

“Maybe I could mix it in a drink…” He pondered, running his fingers through his hair. He decided to brew some tea to mix a small amount into. A small amount shouldn’t kill him, he thought. He read the bag again as he waited for the water to boil. He had read it so many times now he’d memorized it. He started reciting it aloud to pass the time.

Finally the sharp whistle of the kettle filled the air, shocking him out of his daze. He tossed a mint tea bag into his favorite cup and poured the water over it, the rich smell of the herbs filling the room. He inhaled deeply and sighed, he wished he drank tea more often, but it usually slipped his mind, or he simply procrastinated and would forget.

A soft humming invaded his head as he felt the vines inside twist and turn gently. It made his skin crawl to think about it and it bothered him even more that he was becoming used to it. He blew on the steaming liquid in an attempt to cool it down and took a sip, instantly burning his tongue. Basil hissed through his teeth as he tried to fan his mouth with his hand. He was never patient when it came to hot food or drinks.

He brought the cup to the table and set it aside the bag of poison. He checked the bag again, looking for the poison control number, just in case. He thought about calling before he attempted this, but figured he wouldn’t know what to say. ‘Hello, I was invaded by a carnivorous plant parasite, can I drink this poison to kill it without it killing me?’ He thought to himself. Yeah, that’d go over great.

The bag says to add a tablespoon to a gallon of water to kill 5 square feet of unwanted weeds. He wondered how someone measured that. He took his teaspoon from the tea, and licked the remaining liquid from it, then studied the silverware. “Maybe if i just dip it in and use what sticks, that might be enough…” He mused to himself as he carefully tore the bag open, the dusty material billowing out of the bag. He started coughing as his nostrils were assaulted by the foul smelling powder. Suddenly his body seized up and he fell to the floor, the ringing growing louder and more high pitched in his head. His limbs curling against his body as the plant writhed.

He could feel thousands of sharp barbs stabbing inside himself, forcing him to moan in pain as his finger nails dug into his palms. He lay curled in pain, the sound gradually dying down as the plant calmed. His body hurt as he slowly regained control, relaxing his limbs and rolling over onto his back. He tried to steady his breathing, his lungs still burning slightly from the poison. “I guess you don’t like that stuff then, huh…” He spoke, talking to the plant. He felt the tendrils shift slightly under his skin.

He gently lifted himself up off of the floor and sat back down at the table. The powder was stark white with small blue flecks scattered throughout. It had spilled slightly on the table and he was sure not to breath anymore in or touch any with his bare fingers. He looked back at the tea, luckily it was clean of the powder. He thought that maybe this was a bad idea as he picked the spoon back up, licking it slightly and then dipping it into the poison.

Sweat began to accumulate on his forehead as he mixed the powder into his tea. He watched it swirl around before fading completely. He looked back at the bag, he could see the poison control number clearly, though he figured it wouldn’t matter if the plant took control again. He sighed and brought the cup to his lips. He could smell the faint, lingering scent of mint as he froze, not wanting to drink poison. He kept it to his lips for awhile, a few beads of sweat rolled down his face, scared to go any further.

Eventually he set the cup back down, his hands shaking as he attempted to wipe up his sweat with his sleeve. “This is a really bad idea…” He whispered to himself. He got up and walked to his bathroom, running the tap on cold. He removed his eye patch and splashed some water onto his face and looked into the mirror. His hands ran along his cheek, his skin had become a tinge greener than before, his freckles had turned green as well. He could see the vines in the empty cavern that was once his eye, they twisted and turned, a few of the bulbs starting to crawl out and up towards the bathroom light.

Basil could feel anger welling up inside him as he watched the intruder sprouting from his face. He grabbed the plant and pushed it back into his head, quickly covering it with his patch again and marching to the kitchen table. He was sick of this and he was going to end it right now. He was sure they wouldn’t survive this. He lifted the cup to his mouth and took a large gulp.

He immediately dropped his cup to the ground, the glass shattering upon impact as he doubled over. The plant was screaming in his head again, this time more shrill than ever before. His stomach felt as if it were on fire as he clawed at the skin on his stomach. The plant pushed his eye patch from his face and started curling out and around, entangling itself in his hair. He pushed himself towards the bathroom, his legs feeling weak. He fell to his knees before the toilet and immediately purged the contents of his stomach.

He vomited until nothing more would come up, his stomach felt like it was being torn apart. Bits of blood came up along with the small amount of tea and the candy bar he had eaten earlier for dinner. His vision started fading out and the ringing in his head grew fainter and fainter. The last thing he felt was the back of his head hit the bathroom wall behind him.

————-

Warm…. Something felt warm… and…. wet? It felt like the embrace of a warm bath, surrounding him entirely. Basil slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. It was bright and foggy, His body halfway submerged in warm, white water. He rose to his feet, the liquid didn’t linger on his skin, as if it wasn’t real. He looked around the area, there were no shores any where, but the water wasn’t very high.

He began to walk against the current, not really knowing which way to go. He faintly remembered this place. Was it from a dream? Maybe this was a dream, He thought to himself. He ran his fingers along the water’s surface as he walked. This was an inviting place, it had a serene, welcoming air to it.

He wandered for what felt like forever, until he suddenly heard a voice. It sounded as if it was coming from all directions. It was calm and steady, the words running together monotonously.

“Why are you wandering around here?” It quizzed. Basil looked around, but could not see the source of the voice. He shrugged gently as he continued to walk. “You aren’t supposed to be here.” It spoke again, this time it sounded louder, as if it was right above him. He glanced up quickly, seeing no one there. He stopped momentarily and tried to survey the area better. He was still alone. He began walking only to be interrupted the moment his foot left the ground.

“You need to leave. You can’t be wandering here for very long. You don’t belong.” The voice was sounding more and more impatient as it asserted. Basil finally came to a stop, he decided to wait and see if the voice would speak again if he didn’t move.

“How do I leave…?” Basil finally questioned, His body started feeling colder as he stood still, he wanted to keep moving, the water felt warmer when he moved. Suddenly a figure came into view, floating down, out of the fog. The ‘person’ had small, grayish white angel wings on his back and soft white hair. His red eyes looked tired and frustrated as he stared down at Basil.

“What do you mean ‘how do I leave’?” His voiced was mocking as he berated Basil. “You just leave. Go back to your corporate form. You’re the one that wandered in here when he wasn’t supposed to. Now you expect me to help you?” He sounded annoyed, as if he had been interrupted in the middle of something important. Basil just stared up, a mixture of confusion and apologetic empathy. The stranger sighed exasperatedly, rubbing his eyes with his hand. “Alright, I’ll send you back, but don’t come back here again until you’re supposed to, Okay?” His voice, while still frustrated had an air of sympathy to it.

Basil felt himself suddenly be pulled back, his head jerking forward, the river looked as if it was growing further away, he could have sworn he heard the strange man mention something about 'He looks familiar…’ as he was ripped from the veil. He felt his body smash against something and everything went dark again.

————————-

The quiet ringing slowly began to fill the silence and the bright bathroom lights felt blinding. Basil reached up to cover his eye with his hand and he could feel something wet on his sleeve. He recoiled, looking down, his face filled with disgust as the realization that he had vomited on himself took hold. He groaned out as the pain began to overtake his senses. His head hurt, his stomach hurt and his body hurt. Everything felt like he had been mauled by some wild animal. He could see the plant in his peripheral vision. It was twisting about, taking in the light of the harsh bathroom sconces.

“I guess that didn’t work” He mused to the vines as he carefully pushed himself off the floor. His body felt weak and he grabbed the wall to steady himself from falling again. His clothes were drenched in a mixture of sweat, vomit and tears as he peeled them off. He turned the faucet in the shower, deciding it would probably be best to wash himself. As he stood under the warm streams of water, the vines were crawling out, entangling themselves around the fixtures, seeming to enjoy the water.

“I wish you’d just crawl all the way out and leave my body alone” Basil joked to the plant as his hands ran through his hair. A quiet ringing was the only response he got in return. His body ached and he resigned himself to sit on the shower floor, enjoying the relaxing water as it bounced off his abused skin.

“Maybe I should just learn to live with you… ” He sighed as he watched the plant slink around curiously. He scrubbed his skin a little, hissing every so often when he hit a tender or raw area. His hands were still scratched up from the first night he got his little visitor. Next he decided to brush his teeth. He preferred to brush his teeth in the shower, he felt that it saved water and he didn’t have to be as careful to not get toothpaste everywhere.

He brought the brush to his mouth and tensed when his brush hit his teeth. He pulled it back suddenly and rubbed the surface with his finger. His teeth had become jagged and sharp, he finally found one that was still round at the end and gave it a slight tug. It popped out smoothly. Basil stared at the tooth in his hand, his heart began to race as he panicked, shoving his finger back to the spot it had been pulled. In place of the tooth was a sharp point, slowly making it’s way through his gum.

Basil jolted upright, quickly pulling the curtain open. Sure enough, several teeth laid on the ground around where he had passed out. How had he not noticed that he wondered, his mind racing. He quickly finished up showering and jumped out, wrapping his favorite green towel around himself. He wiped the steam from the mirror and looked into his mouth, pulling his lip away with his fingers. A row of sharp, shark like teeth had replaced his old ones. He ran his tongue along the bottom, feeling the sharpness of each.

“What next…?” He whispered to himself. He dried off and walked to his bed. He tossed his grey sleep shirt over his head and pulled on fresh underwear. He felt worn out and tired from everything that had happened. He figured he’d clean up the mess he made with the poison in the morning and hoped quietly to himself that things would be normal again.


	5. Meat

It was dark, the only things visible were the black outlines of the trees fully surrounding you. You looked straight up, the sky was a shade of dark blue, the only contrast to the thousands of bare, creeping branches swallowing you up. You tried to move, only to find your feet were slowly sinking into the soft forest floor.

You pulled at your legs, trying to free them from the cold, shifting dirt only to find struggling sped up the sinking process. You yelled out for help, a quiet echo bouncing back to you, then, silence. There were no sounds here. No crickets or cicadas, not even night birds.

A low ringing suddenly broke through the maddening quiet, growing louder and louder, completely surrounding you. You slapped your hands to your ears to block it out, but it did nothing, as if the ringing were in your head. Your nails dug into your soft skin, taking a few layers of skin with them, beads of blood forming in their path.

A quiet rustle in the bushes in front of you broke you out of your trance and you stared ahead. You tried to scream for help, but no sound came out. The leaves of the bush shifted gently and you could see something shining. Two small, shining crescents slowly grew wider, peering out of the foliage and you realized they were a pair of glowing, blue eyes. The lights stared at you for sometime, making you almost forget the sharp ringing sound accosting you.

Slowly the creature rose up from the plants, standing tall, much taller than yourself. You could see the outline clearer now, noticing the figure had two tall antlers sprouting from it's head. Slowly its mouth opened, shining the same shade of blue as it's eyes, creeping into a coy smile. It began to approach you and you could feel your heart begin to race. You started to struggle again, trying to get away, scratching away at your legs as you tried to pull them from the ground.

Before you knew it the monster was upon you, staring directly down at your half buried form. It slowly placed a hand atop your head and gently began to push you down, further into the ground. You attempted to claw at it's hand and arm, but it seemed to not even notice you at it continued to smile at you. You could feel your body being swallowed up and the ringing grew louder as you felt the dirt rise to your throat.

You inhaled quickly as you sunk fully into the ground, the damp earth overtaking you. It felt as if it were filling your orifices and you held your breath, the ringing growing louder and louder into a cacophony of screams.

\---------------

Basil woke suddenly, crying out and reaching for his throat. It was sore, as if he had been screaming all night. As his senses slowly came back to him, his first realization was that he was no longer on his bed, but sprawled out on his floor in front of it. The next thing he noticed was the intense pain in his stomach and body. He groaned out in pain as he pushed himself up off the ground.

He looked out his window at the dark cityscape and wondered what time it was. A low growl suddenly startled him out of his thoughts and he grabbed his tummy, rubbing it gently. "How can I be hungry after what happened..." He questioned himself, walking to the kitchen. The refrigerator opened with a loud crack and he squinted at the sudden bright light. Once his eye adjusted he took into account the fact that there was no food inside, only a jug of probably expired milk and a few bottles of water. The freezer above was the same story.

He jumped up onto his counter top and pulled open the cabinets, only to find much of the same: Nothing. Basil grumbled softly to himself, the realization that he has to go out growing much more real. He crawled down and put his clothes on, looking at the soiled pile of laundry near the bathroom door he had left on the floor, reminding him of the mess of poison in the kitchen as well. He began to feel slightly overwhelmed as he thought about all the work he's going to have to do to clean up. He sighed and made his way out the door.

\--------------

The air was warmer than he had expected as he stepped out onto the concrete parking lot in front of his apartment complex. He figured he could just walk tonight, it was a rare occasion that it would be so nice on a late winter night. His boots made soft sounds as he made his way down the empty street, the random light illuminating the ground in a shade of artificial orange. He noticed a figure up ahead of him walking down the street towards him.

Basil tensed up as they grew closer, his breathing speeding up. He wasn't sure why he was always so afraid of people. Something about them he could just never understand and they could never understand him. The stranger slowly came more into view, his blue eyes glinting under the street lights. Their eyes met momentarily and they both looked away quickly. The other man fidgeted with his flannel as he walked past and Basil suddenly had a creeping feeling in his gut.

His hair felt as if it were standing on end as their shoulders brushed by each other. He could smell something in the air as well. Something sweet and earthy, he could feel the vines within him shift anxiously, ringing softly in his head. He turned his head around to glance over his shoulder and watched as the other person continued walking, most likely not even taking notice of Basil. He let out a breath and walked quicker.

\-------------------

Harsh florescent lighting bore down on Basil as he walked the aisles of the grocery store. He held a small hand basket closely to himself as he put a few items inside it. He had only picked up candy so far and while he was usually ok with just a few chocolate bars and bags of chips his body was telling him he needed something more substantial.

He stopped in front of the fresh meat freezers and stared down at the pretty red and marbled chunks, he licked his lips absentmindedly and picked up a package of steak. His eye followed the red juice flowing from underneath the meat as he turned it gently in his hand. He knew the plant was emitting a quiet ringing now, but he had grown used to it. He quickly tossed it into his basket along with a few other packages of random beef and lamb cuts.

He shuffled awkwardly as the cashier rung up his items, her eyes not leaving him. She looked as if she were trying to figure him out, he figured she had never seen a green man with sharp teeth before. She announced the price as he quickly swiped his debit card and snatched the bags from her, awkwardly yelling out a thank you as he left in a hurry.

\-----------------------

He had never bought meat at the store before, the only meat he usually got was in hot pockets or fast food. He wasn't even sure how he would cook it. He pondered it as he stared down at the food he had purchased. His fingers nervously drumming against the now clean table surface. It had been difficult to clean the poison up without making the vines angry, having to take plenty of precautions by wearing his dish washing gloves and tying a shirt around his face, but he had got the job done.

Eventually he rose to his feet and shuffled around for a pan, finding one that was just big enough for the steak he bought. He took a knife to the cellophane around the package and freed the meat, the smell slowly wafting to his nose, making his mouth water and the plant occupying him wriggle in anticipation. He stared down at the meat and gently ran a finger along the edge of it, coating his skin in red fluid. He began to bring it to his lips before suddenly shaking his head as he snapped out of his trance. He couldn't believe he was about to lick raw meat like that. What had gotten into him?

He used the knife to segment the steak into two large chunks, figuring if he messed up cooking one piece he would at least have a backup. He looked over at the pan, it was hot enough to cook with now and he tossed the meat directly onto the cookware. It sizzled quietly and he poked at it a little. He carefully flipped it and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't burnt or under cooked on the other side.

Sliding it onto the plate, he clicked the oven off and had a seat at his table, staring down at his work. It wasn't much, but he had managed not to mess it up so he was proud of himself. He cut into it with his fork and knife and sectioned it into small, easy to eat pieces. It was still slightly pink in the middle, or medium rare he had heard people say. He plopped a piece into his mouth and chewed, enjoying the taste.

He quickly finished the rest of it off, sighing happily. He removed himself from the table and walked to the sink, turning the faucet so he could clean up the dished he used. As he cleaned he felt the vines shift and wriggle inside him and if trying to tell him something. His mouth opened to say something but was cut short from the sound of his stomach loudly growling.

"What the...? I just ate, I can't still be that hungry." He scolded himself, his hand rubbing up and down his belly in an attempt to quiet it. The plant began to grow more restless and he turned towards the rest of the uncooked meat to his side. He felt a bead of sweat form on his brow as his eye studied the marbled surface. He could see the light glistening off the cold, red and white surface. He took a step towards it, not sure of his movements and picked it up, he slowly took a bite out of it, the red liquid running down his face.

It tasted better than he could imagine, he could feel his new, sharp teeth sinking into the soft, supple flesh with each bite, earning a pleasured humming from the vines within him as they twisted about gently. Once he finished he realized what he just did, looking down at his blood soaked hands in horror. He ran to his bathroom to purge it from his system only to have nothing come up. He cried softly as he sat on his bathroom floor. He didn't understand what was happening to him, why was he acting this way?

Finally, He trudged to the kitchen and put the remaining meat into the fridge, hoping he doesn't have the urge to eat it raw again. His stomach did feel fuller though and he felt like his body were more relaxed, as if the stiffness of the plant was gone. He huffed defeated and went to his camera bag. How long had it been since he had taken any shots? He did have that deadline for a wildlife magazine due soon. He wasn't even sure if he had already missed it, time seemed to be nonexistent lately. He checked the calendar, letting out a sigh of relief. He had a few days left and it was an easy shoot.

He grabbed his gear and went on his way, back to the forest.


	6. Rest Stop

The sound of the bare trees rustling against each other in the crisp winter breeze was the only noise that could be heard as Basil marched through the forest in an attempt to follow the same path he had gone on his first visit here. He could see his breath as he huffed, tired from the long walk already. He took into account the many twigs and bushes he must have broken through to get to the stream, slightly feeling guilty that he disturbed the natural order they were in.

Slowly the soft trickling of the water broke through the silence, growing closer and closer with each step. He finally found his way back, carefully taking in his surroundings. He honed in on the last remaining bits of the deer carcass that started this whole mess. He crept carefully towards it, taking every measure of precaution he could this time. It was empty and alone, it's body mostly gone, save for the skull and a couple limbs.

He crouched down to get a better look, pulling his camera for a few shots of the decay. He gently stroked his fingers along the skull, it had been picked clean and bleached white from the sun. Basil decided he would keep it as a trophy and he thought it would look nicely with his other collections of bones and plants he had found in his journeys. Setting his camera bag to the side and cracking his knuckles, he prepared himself to tug it loose from the rest of the withering muscle tissue still connecting it to a bit of the spine.

His hands gripped it tightly as he gave it a tug, the rotten meat of the body tearing easier than expected and landing him on the ground with a loud thud, some of the tissue finding it's way onto his clothes. He groaned annoyed as he stood up, wiping as much as he could away and then admiring his new trophy.

Suddenly a chill rose up his spine as he felt something watching him, just behind his back. He could feel a cold sweat begin to accumulate as he heard the soft crunching of leaves and dried grass as something took it's steps towards him. His fingers dug against the cold bones in his hands as he slowly turned his head around his shoulder to peer behind him, terrified of what he would see.

Nothing. The forest behind him was empty. He whipped the rest of the way around and studied the area around him. "....H.....Hello?" He called out into the empty space. No response. He still had the unmistakable feeling of being watched as he shoved the skull into his backpack and removed his flashlight. He preferred not to use a flashlight when he went on his exploring, it felt like cheating to him and his night vision was pretty good, only having to count on the light of the moon.

This was a different occasion however as he could feel someone, or something's eyes on him, studying him, _hunting_ him. He flicked the switch and the light slowly flickered on and then off. He smacked it against his palm causing it to light up briefly once more, only to flicker out again. He huffed exasperated and tried again, this time it stayed on with minimal flickering. He shined it out towards where he heard the crunching, the dark, empty spaces between the trees and foliage lighting up.

He cast it along the edges of the clearing, seeing nothing around him. He finally began to wonder why these woods seemed so... empty. It dawned on him that he hadn't heard any nocturnal animals since he came here. The first night he had heard the soft sounds of crickets and the call of the random owl, but tonight seemed different. It was quiet and cold, the breeze had died down when he entered this area and now the quiet seemed deafening.

As if on cue, a quiet ringing slowly sounded in his head, growing louder and more anxious. "Hey... Hey, what's wrong..?" Basil questioned the plant in his body, the response he received being only a sharper, painful screeching. His hands shot to his ears by force of habit, doing nothing to block out the sound inside him, forcing him to his knees. It died back down into a frenzied humming as Basil wiped a tear from his eye. "I have to stay and get the shot... I won't stay for very much longer, ok?" He tried to console it, stroking along his arm to calm the wriggling vines beneath.

Suddenly he heard another crunch in the brush nearby, sending a wave of panic through his body, the ringing sound turning into a heated buzzing as he felt the plant writhe furiously. "Or... maybe I could try another night..." his voice was shaking as he grabbed his camera bag and started to walk towards his car. He reached the edge of the clearing where the forest began, a rustling noise freezing him in place. It had come from right in front of him. His body slowly backed away and he decided to go a different route.

His hands broke through the brush clumsily as he tried to retreat into the dense woodlands, cutting his skin open against the thorny branches. He stumbled through the trees, he could hear something behind him as he rushed to find the road again, his foot catching on a root causing him to tumble over and into a small clearing. He pushed himself off the ground with a pained groan, looking up to come eye to eye with two hollow eyes. He yelped and fell backwards, realizing it was just a deer skull. It had been hung up against a tree, it's long antlers facing out. Basil surveyed the area, there were bones all around him, some meticulously strung up on twine and others just scattered about the area.

Near by was also a shallow pool of water, branching off into a thin stream and then into a larger pond that was hooded by curving trees and branches. His heart raced as he realized another person must have done this and might be here with him. He rose to his feet, trying to be as quiet as possible, straining his ears to listen for signs of movement. It seemed quiet for now, maybe he lost whatever was following him. He crept to the pool of water, his breath hitching in his throat when he saw the swirls of red mixed into the murky water.

He backed away and his foot caught on something, toppling him down once more onto the muddy ground. His eye widened, noticing that the thing he had tripped on was fleshy and grey. He gently pulled it further out of the mud, trying to stifle a scream when the fleshy mound became a human hand, flopping back down onto the ground as he dropped it and pushed himself away from it as fast as he could. Tears stung his eye as he ran as fast as his feet would carry him, throwing aside bits of brush that lay in his path.

Bursting out of the woods and onto the hard asphalt of the road, he dropped to his knees, his breath burning as he panted. He could feel his body shaking as a sob broke from his mouth, trying his hardest to register what had happened. Eventually he felt his breathing returning to normal and he reached behind himself to take his water bottle from his backpack, his blood running cold as he realized he must have dropped it where he fell. He looked behind him into the mess of darkened trees, smiling in disbelief. A laugh trickled out of his mouth, starting with a giggle, growing into heated, panicked laughter and quickly fading into loud sobs, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He took in a breath and fell backwards, his head landing in the rough, prickly grass as he stared up at the sky. "My ID is in that bag..." He mused out loud "Maybe the monster will return it, now that he has my address...". Basil lifted himself from the ground, brushing his hands over himself in a feeble attempt to clean himself. "I.... I should just deal with this in the morning... It'll be safer during the day." He conceded.

His feet felt heavy as he walked towards the rest stop he had left his car. It was quite a walk considering, but that was the safest place to leave it. His mind began to wander, thinking back to the hand he pulled from the mud. He tried to rationalize it must not have been a human hand, it was probably just an old glove, or maybe some weird octopus. "An octopus in the forest?" He questioned his own thoughts, a light chuckle following it. The sudden sound of extra feet on pavement shook him out of his daze.

Slowly he peered past his shoulder, seeing another man walking a distance behind him. 'How long has he been there?' Basil wondered, 'is he just out for a walk too? Is he following me?'. All these questions invaded his mind, causing him to not notice his slowing in pace. He glanced back behind him, a chill creeping up his spine when he saw they were only about 10 feet away from each other now. The stranger was walking leisurely, his head turned to face the forest, staring into it as if there was something to be seen. Basil's heart felt as if it stopped when he realized he recognized this man.

He took in his visage, recognizing his long, blonde hair that was carefully tied back into a low ponytail and his ice blue eyes that glinted subtly in the moonlight. He was dressed differently this time, sporting a grey and maroon flannel that was worn underneath a slim, blue, hooded vest. Instead of his usual blue sweatpants, he wore comfortable looking, olive khakis that fit his body nicely as he walked. Basil felt a bead of sweat roll down his face as he turned to face ahead once more, quickening his pace.

Slowly the orange glow of the rest stop's neon lights came into view over the horizon, earning a relieved sigh from Basil. He glanced back around, his body stiffening up when he saw he was alone again. He looked around him and couldn't spot where the man had gone. He hoped to himself that he had left and quickly hurried towards the parking lot, his body breaking into a sprint. His hands hit down onto the roof of his car as he used it to support his weight while he caught his breath, relief flooding his body, only to soon be replaced by overwhelming fear as he reached into his pockets for his keys. They were no longer in his pocket. He quickly checked his other pockets only to find there was nothing in any of them.

He sunk down against his car, his forehead resting on the cold metal in front of him, the feeling of crying welling back up inside him. His self pitying was cut short when he heard someone moving behind him, their eyes boring into his back.

"Are you ok?" A voice gently asked him. Basil turned around to face the origin of the question, seeing the blonde man standing close behind him. He was smiling gently, but there was something off about it, something that made Basil's skin crawl.

"Ah.... I.... lost my keys." Basil's voice was hoarse and quivering as he responded, trying his best not to sound as terrified as he obviously was. The stranger must have caught on to his fear, his eye twitching for a split second as his smile wavered.

The blonde man looked away and into the forest, his smile perking up and his face looking more relaxed. "It's strange isn't it?" His voice was soft and monotonous, it seemed as if the man was daydreaming as he spoke. "Out of the hundreds of... people in this city.." His eyes shifted to stare straight into Basil's. "You are the one I keep crossing paths with." He took a step forward, closing the gap between them, Basil attempted to press himself hard against the car, a futile attempt to get away from him. "Or perhaps... our paths are one?".

He grew closer and reached his hand out towards Basil's face, his finger tips barely touching his skin. He could feel dirt on his nails as he tried to move away from him, a sudden ringing giving him the motivation to move aside and away from the stranger. "I... I'm sorry... I... I think you're confusing me with someone. I just... want to go home... I'm really sorry.." Basil sputtered out as he walked backwards, his hands raised up in a pleading motion. The strange man's smile faltered as he started to step towards him, his eyes seeming to light up with mysterious intent.

"I've never seen someone else... venture so deep before..." His voice seemed to be getting more declamatory as he moved towards Basil. "You feel... familiar... Like... Like a melody that gets caught in your head..." The stranger's smile grew as he prattled on, his expression looking wild and unhinged under the unnatural glow of the rest stop lights.

He was still mumbling things under his breath when a sharp ring resounded in Basil's head, prompting him to turn on his heel and run. He had no idea where he was running to, civilization was hours away and he had no phone, no wallet and no keys. His mind was racing as he ran towards the road, he couldn't hear footsteps behind him, he thought maybe he wasn't chasing him. He turned his head to glance behind and saw that the man was closing the gap, quickly, his height giving him leverage over Basil's minimal speed.

The asphalt hit him hard as he felt the air being pushed out of his lungs, the weight of the other man pressing against him. He could hear the man's panting over him, fading in and out with his consciousness. The last thing he felt was a gentle hand carefully brushing his hair out of his face.

 

 

 


	7. Warmth

A faint humming slowly became audible as Basil stirred, consciousness lethargically returning to him. His body hurt, but that was becoming a usual routine for him. He moved to bring his hand to his head to brush aside the bangs that had fallen onto his face, only for it to be stopped short. His eye blearily opened, the light of the room flooding his vision as he waited for the fuzziness to clear. Panic rushed through his body when he saw his hands had both been tied tightly to a wooden chair, firmly held in place by duct tape. His legs were the same story as he wriggled in a panicked attempt to free himself.

The bindings weren't budging and he was too worn out as it was to struggle much more, he decided to survey the area. The first thing that became apparent to him was the many plants that littered the room. He was placed in front of a large window, a table sat underneath holding numerous ferns and succulents. There were a few standing lamps placed around them, most likely to give them extra light. He saw a small, unkempt bed to his right, there was a red flannel draped on top haphazardly. He recognized it instantly and began to sweat nervously.

To his left was a door, he could see a beam of light streaming through the underside and could hear the sound of running water and random faint thumps. He fidgeted in his bindings, feeling helpless to do anything but wait for his captor. Thoughts began to run through his head of what might happen to him, causing his breathing to increase. He could feel himself begin to panic and tried to calm himself down, his fingernails digging desperately into the wood of the chair.

The sound of the faucet squeaking in the other room followed by the sudden halt of the water jolted him upright, he bit his lower lip anxiously, his sharp teeth drawing a small bead of blood. He listened closely and could hear a shower curtain being pulled open, followed by the sound of a towel being shaken off. He began to scan the room once more to desperately search for anything that could possibly help him escape. The door slowly creaked open, the light flooding the room only momentarily before being shut off.

A man stood in the doorway awkwardly, one hand holding his arm tightly while the other held the towel that was draped around his waist. His blonde hair was down this time and still damp. "Ah... I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet..." His voice sounded shaky and nervous as he finally addressed Basil, his eyes refusing to make eye contact. "I'm... sorry." He finally looked up to study Basil, his cheeks turning a tinge of pink when he noticed the smaller man was blushing, his amber eye fixated on the stranger's figure.

Basil realized he was staring, his cheeks heating up a strange shade of green and red, he turned his head away quickly "I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't.. mean to stare..." He bit down harder on his lip, blood pooling up, slowly running down his chin in a thin streak. The other man's eyes grew wide and he stepped in front of him, crouching down to study his face.

"Oh... You've made yourself bleed... Does it hurt?" His voice was soft and caring, as if he was talking to a child. He gently reached a hand up to touch Basil's cheek, only to have him flinch away, his eye snapping shut as if he were expecting to be struck. A look of shock and hurt filled the stranger's face as he slowly brought his hand back down and away from his face. He stood up carefully, as if he was trying not to scare Basil. "I'm... I'm going to get dressed. I'll... Yeah...." He seemed to give up on talking and hurriedly grabbed a few articles of clothing that were laying around and shuffled into the bathroom.

Eventually the bathroom door opened once more and a more dressed man walked out, he was wearing the same outfit Basil had seen him in when he met him the first time. His hair was still down, most likely due to still being a bit damp. He stood before Basil, looking away from him, his nervous expression seemed as if he had something to say but was unsure. They sat in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time, both being too nervous and shy to say something first.

"My name... is Lawrence..." The stranger finally announced, causing Basil to jump a little from the sudden sound. Lawrence was giving an attempt to smile, but it looked forced and awkward, his shoulders were stiff and his body language felt uncomfortable.

"O-oh... My name is... Basil..." He tried to match the other man's hesitant smile, his legs shifting uncomfortably against his bindings. He noticed Lawrence's expression change when he said his name, his eyes shifting quickly away from him, a subtle blush tinting his cheeks.

"That's... a really nice name.." He scratched his cheek, his smile looking more genuine. Basil just stared at him in confusion, not sure how to react to a compliment, and definitely not one from someone who had kidnapped him.

The air in the room fell silent once more and Basil could see out the window that the sky was changing in hue, brightening up as the sun slowly began to rise. He felt the vines inside him shift around, reminding him they were there. Lawrence noticed he was staring behind him and turned, sighing wistfully when he saw daylight breaking.

"Oh... It's already morning... " He turned back to face Basil "I'm sorry... I... " His voice was nervous, as if he wasn't sure what he was going to say, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear and shrugged "You must be tired... It was pretty late when I..." His voice trailed off and he shuffled his foot awkwardly.

Basil noticed his demeanor changing and decided to speak up "Ah... It's ok. Really... I'm... I usually sleep during the day anyway.." He attempted to smile comforting to reassure Lawrence, he could tell he was a little... unhinged.

It seemed to work earning him an apologetic smirk "Heh... That's good... Do you... Would you like something to help you get to sleep? It's just some tea..." He seemed sincere and Basil weighed his options. On one hand he could get drugged or something, but he wouldn't want to make this guy upset, on the other hand did it really matter at this point? He was pretty sure he wasn't going to get out of this alive, and even if he did he still has this horrible plant parasite to deal with.

"Sure... I enjoy tea..." Basil replied softly, smiling gently. Lawrence walked past him to what Basil could only guess was a kitchen area or something of the sort. He could hear the clinking of tea cups and water running into a kettle. It was silent for a while, the only sounds were the soft bubbling of the water beginning to boil and the random shuffle from Lawrence.

Finally the whistle of the pot filled the air, he could hear the other man gasp at the noise and quickly remove the kettle from the burner. It was quiet again as he allowed the tea to steep fully and cool, Basil could feel his eye become heavier and he started wondering if he would even need the tea to fall asleep.

He let his eye shut fully and rolled his head softly to his shoulder, the tiredness taking it's toll on him. "Ah... did you... are you awake?" The noise startled him awake and he saw the blonde man standing in front of him, holding a tea cup nervously. "You really must be tired... I... Uh... you should still maybe... drink this.." He held it towards Basil and he just stared down at it, wondering if Lawrence was aware he couldn't take it.

"My hands are..." Basil's voice faded and he noticed a small smile form on the other man's face. He looked calm and deep in thought.

He crouched down in front of him, resting one hand on Basil's thigh causing him to blush harder and look away. His cold, cerulean eyes were staring straight at Basil's face as he hovered closer "It's ok... I can take care of you... You're helpless right now..." He glanced back towards his many plants "You need me..." a dreamy sigh escaped Lawrence's lips as he murmured on.

He slowly removed his hand from Basil's thigh, bringing up to gently cup his captive's cheek. Basil didn't flinch away this time, his body felt stiff as sweat began to bead up on his forehead. Lawrence brought the cup to his lips, tipping it carefully so as to not spill it. The liquid was still warm, but drinkable and it tasted sweet and earthy, it tasted unique, not like any tea he's ever drank before.

Lawrence watched, fixated, his eyes studying his throat as he swallowed the tea down. His hand slowly glided down his jaw to rest against his collared throat, pressing gently enough to feel it move, but not hard enough to choke him. Basil's drinking hitched at the sudden change and he stopped drinking, he started to feel strange as Lawrence withdrew the cup, setting it on the floor nearby.

"What... What kind of tea was that...?" Basil questioned, his speech slightly slurred as the room became blurry and distant. He could see the calm smile on the other man's face, his body seeming to blur as he stood. His head felt heavy and he slowly let it drop, feeling as if a large weight had been placed upon him. A low ringing sounded only momentarily, but quickly faded out, as if the plant was feeling the effects of the drug too.

He could hear footsteps in front of him and some random shuffling, then something warm and soft being placed over his legs. "Sleep.............. Well........... Basil......." He heard the other man's voice, but it sounded far away and slow, as if he were slowly drifting away from him. His body felt warm as his thoughts went silent as he drifted off.


	8. Anger

Basil's eye fluttered open as he slowly woke up, he could feel something warm on his legs and he noticed a soft, green blanket had been draped over him. His body still felt strange and heavy as he lifted his head. The first thing to come into focus was Lawrence, he had a fascinated expression on his face, his head cocked slightly to the side. Basil jumped back slightly, startled from seeing him staring at him. He wondered how long he had been watching.

Lawrence took notice, gasping gently and looking away from him momentarily "You.... You're beautiful when you sleep..." He shyly commented, a thoughtful smile creeping across his face. Basil could feel his skin heat up from the strange and sudden compliment and glanced away. "You look... peaceful and... _Still_... I wish I could keep you like that.." Lawrence mused on, making Basil shift uncomfortably in his chair.

He took a step towards Basil, causing him to shrink down into the chair as much as possible. He knelt down and pulled the blanket covering his legs away and placed both hands on his thighs, eliciting a small, embarrassed squeak from his captive. "You seem so delicate... Like a spring ephemeral..." His hands slowly slid further up Basil's legs, causing him to gasp and attempt to cross his legs, only to have them stopped by the binds.

"Please... I... I don't know about this... Don't..." Basil pleaded, his face flushing, sweat accumulating on his brow. Lawrence didn't seem to notice his quiet begging and continued to muse on.

"There's... something about you that... draws me in. You seem so... familiar, yet... So far away. I want to know what's underneath..." He pulled one hand away for a moment and Basil could see a silver glint as he picked something up off the ground. Lawrence smiled gently at him as he revealed a small garden knife. Basil began to panic, pulling at the tape covering his arms, tears forming in his eyes. Lawrence simply shushed him calmly and stroked his thigh once more.

"It's ok.... It's ok..." He reassured, but it did nothing to help Basil from panicking. "I'm... just going to take a glimpse, ok? It'll be ok..." He continued to coax as he brought the knife to his leg. Basil whimpered quietly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to talk the man out of this, he shut his eye tight and turned his head away.

He could feel it slowly slice through layers of his flesh and he let out a sharp gasp, a few tears rolling down his cheek. He could hear the vines panicked ringing in his head as he tried to keep his breathing steady. Through all the sound inside him, he could hear Lawrence gasp and drop the knife to the side. Basil finally opened his eye and looked down at his leg. He could see a long cut running up his upper thigh, blood was starting to run down the side. He noticed his blood was not fully red, but appeared to have a thinner, greenish fluid mixed in.

Lawrence was staring at the wound, completely entranced. He brought a finger to the cut and gently pulled it open, earning him a sharp hiss from his victim. "You _are_ different, aren't you...?" He questioned, though the tone of his voice would suggest it was hypothetical. He continued to probe and pry in Basil's tender skin, randomly murmuring something under his breath he couldn't quite make out. "Oh... What was that..?" He queried as his finger went deeper.

Basil was quietly crying and whimpering as he tried to handle the searing pain in his leg "What... was... what...?" He managed to rasp through pained breathes. His eye grew wide when he saw that Lawrence had taken hold of a piece of the vine and was gently pulling it up and out of his body. "N.. No no no... Please please! Don't do that!" Basil began begging, his voice was beginning to raise, causing Lawrence to immediately take notice, jumping to his feet and slapping a bloody hand to his mouth.

His eyes were filled with anger as he held his hand against Basil's face "Hush." His voice was dripping with threat as he stared into Basil's soul, as if daring him to make a sound. Basil could feel Lawrence's hand shaking as he held it firmly to him, his nails digging into his skin causing him to wince. "You.... You need to be quiet.... Understand?" His voice was shaky as he tried to calm himself down. Basil tried to nod, unable to move much due to the pressure.

Lawrence finally sighed and released him, stepping back a little and resting his hand on the table behind him. They sat in silence for a few moments, the tension in the air thick enough to cut. "I'm.... sorry..." Basil finally squeaked out, his voice hoarse as he began crying gently "I'm really sorry..." His shoulders began to shake as tears streamed down his face. Lawrence's eyes widened and he walked to Basil, unsure what to do as he crouched down to eye level.

"Hey... I didn't mean to... I mean... I wasn't trying to..." Lawrence began stammering as he tried to explain himself. "Hey... Please... Please stop crying... It's ok..." His hands were raised up, but he wasn't sure where to place them to calm him down.

Feeling anxious and frustrated, Lawrence finally stood up, rushing into his bathroom to grab something from his medical cabinet. He returned, bringing along a small bottle of greenish liquid. He unscrewed the top and held it to Basil's mouth "H-here... please drink this." He demanded gently. Basil rebuffed him turning his head away, still crying softly. Lawrence grew tired of this and quickly took a swig of the medicine, grabbing Basil's face and pressed his lips roughly against his mouth.

Basil immediately stopped crying, his eye widening at the sudden impact. He felt Lawrence move his lips softly against his, trying to part them gently. Basil felt his face heat up and gently closed his eye, giving into the kiss. Lawrence pressed to deepen the kiss and managed to part Basil's lips. The moment they were open he pushed the liquid into his mouth, evoking a muffled grunt from Basil. Once he got all the medicine into his mouth, he pulled away, slapping his hand over his face.

"Swallow it." Lawrence demanded, his voice was forceful, but still gentle. Basil grunted softly, but gave in, allowing the warm liquid to run down his throat. He removed his hand from his mouth and sighed "I'm sorry... You... You needed to calm down. I can't... I can't handle that..." Basil suddenly felt much lighter, as if he could float away, up to the ceiling. He no longer felt like crying, he no longer felt much of anything. He sighed softly, looking up at his captor, who simply smiled awkwardly back.

"I... I feel much better now..." Basil quietly whispered, trying to stay grounded. He was beginning to feel more uninhibited and less scared. "Lawrence... I.." He struggled to find the words to use, his head feeling cloudy. Lawrence moved closer to him, sinking down and listening closely. "I... I don't mind that... I'm here..." he started wondering what he was saying as he said it out loud. Lawrence looked shocked and confused, unsure of how to respond to what was just said.

He slowly stood up and paced around the room, running his hand through his bangs "You... You don't know what you're saying." He sighed sadly "It's just... The medicine... You'll go back to normal and start hating me again... everyone always does..." Basil watched as the other man moved around, his drug induced state making him look as if he were glowing as he moved, leaving an imprint of himself behind for only a moment.

"I never hated you... I'm just scared..." Basil blurted out calmly, the drugs causing him to lose his diffidence." I think if.. we got to know each other... I'd like you a lot...".

Lawrence huffed angrily and marched over to him, grabbing him by the jaw and wrenching his face towards him to meet his stare. "You think you could like me?" He hissed "You don't know anything, do you? You have no idea who I am. _What_ I am... I could take you apart, piece by piece. I could look into your soul as I dismantle you slowly, taking away every last part that makes you who you are. I could rip away anything that you think makes you special." His blue eyes were filled with fury that Basil couldn't understand in his current state.

Lawrence harshly pushed his face away, his nail cutting into his chin as he let go. Basil turned back slowly to look at him through his haze only to feel the sudden rush of pain as Lawrence reeled back and punched him hard in the cheek. Tears welled up in Basil's eye, even though the pain to him felt far away, he turned back to look at Lawrence through his blurry vision. He was staring at him, his shoulders raised up, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides as he seethed with rage.

Basil could feel something in his mouth moving around and pushed a tooth out through his lips, followed by a small stream of blood. He ran his tongue over his teeth and felt an empty spot where the tooth must have been knocked out. He couldn't react as he normally would and simply hung his head. "I'm... sorry.." He croaked out a quiet apology as he avoided looking up at him again.

Lawrence growled out of frustration and moved across the room, he sat down on his bed and put his shoes on. "I... I need to get out of here... I'm going... to calm down... I don't want to... " He trailed off and stood up, looking Basil over once more before marching out of the house, leaving Basil alone to deal with the pain that would soon ensue once the drug wore off.

\-----------------------------

It felt like hours had gone by since Lawrence left and the pain was slowly making it's way over Basil's face. He groaned out loud, trying to deal with the dull throbbing in his cheek and jaw combined with the sharp stabbing in his head. He figured his headache was a side effect of whatever was given to him. A soft ringing sounded in his head and he realized how hungry he was feeling, the plants were writhing softly under his skin and poking at the eye patch on his face, trying to get out.

"Stop it... If he sees you, who knows what he'll do to me." Basil addressed them, shaking his head softly. He ran his tongue back over the spot his tooth had been knocked out, only to feel the beginning of a new sharp nub sprouting in it's place. Basil sighed softly "Well, That's a relief at least.". He looked down at the gash on his leg and saw that it was closed, a line of green ooze sealing the skin together. "Huh... maybe you aren't so bad after all, huh?" He laughed softly and could hear the plant jingle gently in response.

He craned his neck to try to see behind him, only seeing more hanging plants peeking out of a deep doorway. He wondered when Lawrence was coming back, then began to question if that was a good thing or not. He tried to pull on his bindings again, to no avail, he just wasn't strong enough to get out of them.

His mind began to think back to the kiss he had shared with him. He knew logically that he was only trying to drug him, but he could still feel his cheeks light up at the thought. He shook his head roughly to push the thought away "No... No I'm not going to get Stockholm syndrome or something, the guy kidnapped me and pretty much mauled me, I can't be thinking like this..." He berated himself, but the thought kept creeping back up. He remembered how soft his lips were and the scratchy feeling of his short stubble "No! No no no, stop it." His teeth sunk into his lip to get his mind on something else.

A bit of blood pooled up on his lip and he licked it, causing his stomach to rumble from the sudden taste of blood. He groaned lowly and wondered if maybe he could ask Lawrence to feed him or if that would be rude, or even more importantly, safe.

The sound of the lock clicking at the door jarred him out of his thoughts and he tensed up. He could hear footsteps and shuffling, but he dare not look behind him. Eventually Lawrence came to stand in front of him, his clothes and hands covered in dirt, strands of his hair had fallen out of his ponytail and were falling around his shoulders. He seemed... calmer though.

Lawrence glanced at him for a moment before looking away, a look of shame plastered on his face. "Sorry.." His voice sounded soft and monotonous, he didn't seem like he was that used to apologizing to people. "I... I don't know..." He shrugged and looked down awkwardly.

"It's ok." Basil spoke matter-of-factly" "I understand. I'm not upset or anything, so.. please don't worry." Lawrence looked at him shocked, a small smile pulling at his lips as he moved closer to Basil, sitting down in front of him and laying his head on his legs. Basil tensed up, a sharp squeak escaping his throat as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. Lawrence slowly ran his hand up and down Basil's shins as he rested.

"After everything... You can just... forgive me..." He whispered thoughtfully "What are you, I wonder... " Basil pulled softly at his restraints, hoping Lawrence doesn't start going off on one of his strange tangents. "I'm not ready to... pluck you... not yet... " He gripped Basil's leg, squishing the meat on his lithe appendage, Basil could feel the rough dirt against his skin. "I'd like... to see you bloom first... I want to see the color of your petals.." Basil wasn't sure what he was talking about at this point and just tried to ignore Lawrence's exploring hands on his sensitive skin.

After not too long, Lawrence's hand stopped moving and slowly drifted down, off his leg and onto the floor. Basil looked down and saw Lawrence had fallen asleep in his lap, his breathing slow and rhythmic. He blushed deeply as he watched the man sleep, his soft blonde hair falling gently in his face. Basil wished he could push it away and... touch him. The soft sounds in the room slowly carried him off to sleep as well and he soon joined Lawrence in peaceful slumber.


	9. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (omg new cover art wow!)

 

You opened your eyes, the forest surrounding you felt familiar, you've been here, but when? Your feet felt heavy but you moved them forward, walking towards the only path you could see. The branches above you arched around, hiding the night sky from you. The ground felt warm and soft, though your feet made no sound as you walked.

Turning around, you could no longer see where you had come from, only darkness that felt as if it were creeping up on you. You felt a cold chill and sped up your pace, only to notice no matter how fast you ran, the scenery around you moved by at a snails pace. You glanced over your shoulder and you saw the shadow of darkness moving towards you, engulfing everything it touched.

A quiet humming could be heard, but you could not figure out the direction of the sound. Suddenly your footing gave away as the earth below you crumbled from beneath you, sending you falling into a black void.

As you drifted down you started to feel warmer, as if you were shrouded in a warm blanket, the humming sound still resonating, but it was different. It sounded... Happy.

\----------------------

Something jostled Basil gently in his sleep and he moaned softly, drifting back to consciousness. His head was shaking gently, as if it were being pulled softly, to and fro. His eye fluttered open and in his peripheral vision he could see lines of green streaking up and out of his face. He panicked and flung his head upwards, the first thing he saw was Lawrence, a calm, peaceful smile on his face as he held his hand out, allowing the vines to tangle their way around his fingers.

"W-what... What are you doing?!" Basil yelped in surprise, shocking Lawrence out of his meditative state. The plant was humming softly as it wrapped it's way around his hand, the delicate bulbs rubbing against his skin. Basil slowly realized he could feel it through the plant, as if he were running a finger softly across his skin.

Lawrence smiled gently and moved his other hand to cup Basil's cheek "I knew you were special... I know why you were so... alluring now... the moment I saw you, I knew you felt... familiar..." his hand gently stroked his face as the other moved to untangle itself from the plant matter, the vines allowing him to do so. Basil wondered how he was calming the plant, he didn't understand why he felt this way, as if the plant itself had feelings for Lawrence.

The vine wrapped back around to entangle itself in Basil's hair, most likely happy to have some light. "You shouldn't... touch it..." Basil shyly whispered "It's dangerous...". Lawrence looked a little taken aback, but simply smiled and moved closer, his lips brushing against his forehead gently.

"It's ok... I understand it... I understand you..." Lawrence's words sounded deep and melodious as he pushed his hands up through his long, green hair, tangling his fingers throughout. "Don't be afraid... " his lips tickled his forehead as he spoke, causing Basil to heat up, unsure how to feel. "I want to keep you... I want to take care of you... I want..." He trailed off as he crawled closer, sitting down on his lap. He was heavy on his small, thin legs, the proportion difference looking a little ridiculous as he continued to run his hands along his scalp, slowly trailing to his back.

"Lawrence... I really don't-" His sentence was cut off when he felt something sharp press against the middle of his back. He could feel it slice through his shirt as Lawrence cut it off of him, exposing his flesh. He sighed deeply as he worked, his soft hands gliding along his spine and randomly pressing hard into his skin to feel under his bones. Basil whimpered in fear and confusion, feeling trapped like a wild animal. "Please... Please don't..." He begged in vain.

Lawrence softly shushed him as he pressed the blade to his spine, cutting into him easily. Basil let out a small cry and dug his nails into the wood he was bound to. "You know you need to be quiet, Basil...." He warned gently as he continued to cut "I saw your leg heal... I can do... what I want to you... uninhibited...". Basil let out a louder cry as he felt his skin being pulled apart, a finger gently moving inside to feel along his muscle tissue.

His voice was cutoff as a hand gently came up to hold his mouth shut, he could taste his own blood on Lawrence's fingers as he cried gently into it. "Ssh ssh... It's ok... I just want to... feel you... closer..." Lawrence breathed out, he was panting softly as he explored, his body pressing closer against Basil's. He could smell sweat and that strange, sweet odor drifting off his body as he moved against him. He could feel something hard pressing firmly against his lower body and he blushed harshly, trying to ignore it as much as he could.

Suddenly Lawrence yanked roughly on a vine, pulling it up and out of his back, the searing pain streaking up his spine. He screamed into Lawrence's hand, his sobs muffled. He could feel the roots being yanked on, tearing into his muscles and veins. He felt bile rise in his throat, unable to bear the sharp shocks of pain that were radiating from him. The vines began to writhe and emit a sharp ringing sound, prompting Lawrence to let go. He watched fascinated as the thin rope-like plant crawled back inside.

Basil could feel his vision fading in and out, the amount of blood he was losing growing dangerous. Lawrence slowly lifted himself from his lap and walked into the bathroom, bringing a couple towels and a vial of sepia liquid. He pressed the towel softly to his back, the pain rushing through his body again, but he was too worn out to struggle, only groaning softly.

Lawrence mopped up as much blood as he could and popped the cork off the vial with his teeth. He soaked a portion of the towel in the medicine and pressed it to his gaping wound. It burned momentarily before fading away into a numb throbbing. After holding it in place for a few moments, he removed it and bandaged the wound with large gauze.

He moved to stand in front of Basil, who was drifting in and out of reality, his head held down, a steady stream of tears running down his cheek. Lawrence moved to hold his face, pushing it softly against his stomach as he ran his fingers through his hair soothingly. "You did so good... Thank you... " Lawrence hummed as he consoled his defeated prey. "I've never been able to... get so close with someone who's still..." he shuffled lightly, rethinking his words "Well... no one's ever... lasted through something like that...and I suppose I never really cared...." he laughed gently, as if he were recounting a happy memory.

Lawrence's voice sounded far away to Basil as he held on to consciousness, not wanting to fall asleep again, but the throbbing in his back reminded him he probably wasn't going to get out of this alive. He could feel the vines shift, an angry ringing piercing his head, causing him to wince. He became aware of his pleading stomach and how hungry he was. Slowly he managed to bring words to his lips "H.... Hungry..." He croaked out, his throat hurt when he spoke.

"Oh... I guess you... haven't eaten in a while huh..." Lawrence replied, letting go of Basil and crouching to eye level, a calm smile still plastered on his face. "What do you eat?" He asked as if he were asking some strange alien species, a look of genuine intrigue on his face.

"Meat..." Basil finally whispered, his eye nervously looking away. The sudden ringing pushing him to continue, he knew what they wanted "I need it... raw...". Lawrence looked surprised for a moment and smiled, leaning forward and giving Basil a small peck on the head.

"I can do that. I'll be back in... in a little while, ok? " He seemed more cheerful than usual, the sudden upbeat demeanor seemed out of place for him, but Basil was happy he wasn't angry. "I ... I want to talk when I get back... I think... it would be good to talk about... this..." He gestured vaguely in the air as he changed his clothes, his old ones still covered in dirt and blood.

He let his hair down, the golden strands falling gently over his shoulders and slowly removed his jacket and flannel. Basil slowly lifted his head more, shocked that he was changing in front of him. He felt his cheeks grow warmer as he watched Lawrence shed his clothes, stripping all the way down to his dark, blue briefs. He turned around and a look of surprise filled his face, as if he had forgotten Basil was even there. "Oh... Oh yeah... You're not..." He glanced at his plants and then back to Basil "You're more... sentient..." he looked away shyly "I hope... it's ok... I figured that... after sharing something so... intimate with me... this would be ok..".

Basil registered what he was saying to him, a little offended that he only thought of him as a sentient plant. He wondered what he would think if he knew he wasn't always like this and that this is a new thing to him. "It's... It's ok..." He shifted his eyes to look away "I don't mind...". Lawrence seemed to light up a bit and moved to pull open a drawer on the other side of the room. He quickly pulled on a grey long sleeve shirt. There were thick horizontal stripes in two shades of grey on the shirt. He also slipped on a pair of dark jeans.

"Ok.. I'm gonna go now.. I'll be back really soon, so don't worry, ok?" He placed his hands on Basil's thighs as he addressed him, kneeling down a little so they could make eye contact "When I get back, we'll talk more... everything is going to be alright... ok?" he seemed to be wanting reassurance himself, his voice sounded unsure and nervous. Was everything going to be ok? How could this ever be ok?

Basil smiled weakly and nodded his head gently, earning a satisfied smile from the other man. He leaned in slowly, placing his lips carefully on the tip of his nose in a gentle kiss. He leaned back up, he looked so... happy. He waved slightly before disappearing behind Basil and clicking the door closed softly behind him, leaving him alone once more.

\------------------------------------------

It felt like hours had passed by as Basil sat staring at the plants in front of him, unable to do anything else, the sounds of his growling stomach the only thing to listen to. He wished he could just be let go, his arms and legs were sore from being held in the same spot for so long and his bladder ached. He wondered if Lawrence would let him go to the bathroom when he returned and tried to think of nice ways he could ask without upsetting him.

He sighed softly to himself, he couldn't believe how this week turned out, first a parasitic plant invades his body and then he gets kidnapped by an unstable murderer with a mothering complex, what were the odds? He remembered his deadline for the magazine and figured that wasn't going to happen, he felt terrible for not being able to deliver the photos. He began to think back to his camera he had lost in the woods along with everything else that was important to him, he wondered if Lawrence found it and what he would think.

"What... am I trying to impress him with my portfolio now?" He chided to himself, rolling his eye. He looked at all the walls surrounding him once more, wishing he had a clock or something he could look at, anything to pass the time. He felt so restless and trapped and decided to try to pull against the tape once more, maybe he had weakened it from his attempts by now.

He pulled hard.............. nothing.

He pulled harder................. nothing.

Basil took in a deep breath and yanked as hard as he could................... ' _rrrrrip_ '.

He gasped at the sound, it was working! He studied the tape and saw it begin to come up a bit at his elbow, a small tear beginning to form in the plastic. He craned his neck to look behind him, the apartment was still empty as far as he could tell. He thought about his choices. He could keep struggling to get out and run, but if he can't get the tape all the way off and Lawrence sees the tear he could get angry. He listened closely, the only sounds coming from the neighbors quietly moving about in their own apartments.

Beads of sweat began to form on his brow and he decided he had to try. He braced himself to pull as hard as he could, he wasn't going to stop til he was free. His fists balled up tightly and he took in a deep breath and-

The lock of the front door clicked and the handle turned loudly, halting him in the middle of his action. He was breathing heavily and sweating profusely as Lawrence entered his apartment, shuffling around in his kitchenette. He finally came into view, stepping in front of Basil. His happy expression quickly shifted to one of concern when he saw how distressed his captive looked.

"Basil...? Are you ok? You look really... sweaty..." His voice was beginning to tremble slightly, genuine worry lacing his words as he moved to cup Basil's cheeks, looking him over.

He tried to steady his breathing and forced a smile "Ah... Y-yeah! I just.... I...." His voice was cracking from his nervousness as he tried to think up an excuse "I... missed you! Yeah... I'm sorry... I just... missed you a lot... It's very lonely here.... I felt restless..." he tried his best to sound as sincere as possible and there was a hint of truth behind his words.

Lawrence looked as if he were going to cry, his cheeks glowing a rosy hue. "You... You really... missed me?" He sounded touched, a soft smile pulling at his lips, Basil nodded in response eagerly. Lawrence slowly knelt down, his hands gently moving to embrace Basil in an awkward hug, burying his face in his shoulder softly. Basil wished he could hug him back, this felt so nice, he hadn't felt the touch of another person in years. He simply pushed his head gently against Lawrence's, nuzzling him softly.

They hugged for a few moments before they were interrupted by a low grumbling filling the air. "Oh! You're probably still hungry..." Lawrence announced as he removed himself from Basil. He moved behind him, he could hear him shuffle about in the kitchen, the random sound of dishware clinking together. Eventually he came back, a plate of red, raw meat cut into small pieces in his hands.

The vines quickly untangled itself from Basil's hair as if smelling the food, the bulbs standing straight up and wavering gently, the soft ringing filling the air. Lawrence lit up when he saw the plant react like this, his face filling with excitement and intrigue. He bent down and stabbed a piece of meat with a fork, blood dripping off it as he lifted it up. "So... do you eat it or does that?" He pointed at the vines questioningly.

"O-oh.. I do I guess..." Basil replied, he felt a bit awkward about the situation considering he was only just learning to live like this. He brought the food up to Basil's lips, placing it delicately in his mouth. His sharp teeth sunk into the meat and he could swear he had never tasted anything so good in his life. He quickly swallowed and opened his mouth, inviting Lawrence to put more inside.

The action made Lawrence smile happily as he continued to feed him. Basil finished the meat off quickly and he felt more satisfied than he had in days, even more so than when he first had tried the raw meat. A harsh realization soon filled his thoughts as he began to ponder what kind of meat he had just eaten. It didn't taste like the beef he had tried, and it didn't look like packaged meat which was generally drained of most of the blood. In fact... The blood looked... fresh... as if this meat had been freshly slaughtered.

"Um... Lawrence... What... kind of meat was that?" he queried quietly. Lawrence looked at him in confusion, glancing back to the blood soaked plate.

He shrugged his shoulders dismissively and stood up, taking the dishes to the sink out of view. Basil began to sweat nervously, thoughts running through his mind. He considered maybe it was deer meat, that would make sense, after all Lawrence spends a lot of time in the woods, maybe he hunts? Yeah, that must be it, he probably just has access to fresh meat and he hadn't had venison before so of course it would taste different.

Lawrence returned to stand in front of him, standing awkwardly, not making eye contact. Basil shifted uncomfortably, the movement reminding him of the pain in his bladder. He swallowed sharply and decided to finally ask "Um... Lawrence.." He began, earning Lawrence's attention as he finally looked to him "I really need to... pee.." He wriggled his legs the best he could to emphasize the point.

"Oh... yeah... I guess... that's ok..." Lawrence mumbled out, grabbing the garden knife from the table "I'm gonna cut the tape, ok? But... You need to come back and sit down, alright?" his eyes were studying Basil as he instructed him. He nodded gently in response and Lawrence cut through the bindings on his legs, then his arms. He continued to hold the knife close to his body as if defending himself as Basil shakily stood up. He quickly realized his legs had fallen asleep and they gave way from underneath him.

Lawrence gasped loudly, dropping the knife to his side and quickly catching him in his arms. "Are you ok?" He asked surprised, holding him closely to his body. Basil blushed harshly as he tried to work feeling back into his legs.

"Y...Yeah, my legs are just asleep.. I'm sorry.." He explained, wriggling his foot to get blood circulating. Lawrence continued to hold him up as he slowly regained the feeling, the sensation of pins and needles replacing the numbness. Basil hissed as he applied pressure, trying to stand on his own.

Lawrence tried to guide him as he walked, his hands not leaving Basil's shoulders "This... this is kind of nice..." He whispered out loud as they finally reached the doorway "I like... feeling needed...." He let go as Basil took hold of the doorway to steady himself better, his legs finally returning to normal. "I... can take care of you... forever... you know?" his eyes looked dreamy as he thought about it.

Basil shifted awkwardly in the doorway, he knew he had to address things carefully, and he figured the best thing to do was give in "I... I'd like that, Lawrence..." He forced a smile as he slunk into the bathroom, softly shutting the door behind him.

The light of the bathroom came to life as he flicked on the switch, he was shocked when he saw even more plants covering the walls and floors of the bathroom, even in the shower. He looked in the medicine cabinet, seeing lots of strange vials with handwritten labels pasted to them. The names of the medicines seemed to be vague and random. He lifted one and popped the cork from it, taking a quick whiff. The sudden assault of what smelled like jasmine filling his nostrils, he choked slightly, realizing he had breathed in a lot. He turned the bottle over in his hand to read the label: "Migraines. DO NOT INHALE.".

Basil sighed, cursing himself for not reading it first. He finished up using the toilet and looked at himself in the mirror. A large, dark green bruise covered his cheek where Lawrence had punched him before. He gently ran his fingertips against it, noticing it didn't hurt. He ripped off the piece of loose gauze that covered his back, pulling it away gently like a bandaid. He turned around and craned his neck over his shoulder to study the damage. A long, thin line trailed up his spine where he had been cut. It was luckily shut, the same green ooze sealing it like the one of his leg.

He noticed his head was throbbing a bit and he rubbed his temples, looking back at the bottle of medicine he decided to mess with. He shook his head and looked towards the shower. He wished he could take a shower, he felt filthy, a combination of blood, sweat, tears and other various liquids that the plant now made in his body coating his skin. He tapped lightly on the door, immediately getting a response from Lawrence, he must be standing right outside.

"Basil? Are you ok?" He questioned through the wood.

"Ah.. yeah I was just... wondering if I could maybe... take a shower? I'm really dirty..." He crossed his fingers as he questioned, waiting patiently for a response.

He could hear Lawrence shuffle around outside the door, probably thinking about it. Eventually he tapped the door a couple times to get Basil's attention "Yeah... that's ok.. Just don't take to long and..." there was a pause as Lawrence thought about how to articulate his sentence "Give me your clothes...".

Basil suddenly felt very embarrassed, looking down at his tattered shirt and shorts that were covered in various fluids. He figured he just wanted to wash them or something, but he questioned what he would wear in the meantime. "Oh... Ok..." He agreed quietly, wriggling his way out his soiled garments. He cracked the door open slightly, trying to hand them to Lawrence without revealing himself. He took them and he could hear footsteps depart. He clicked the door shut and turned the tap on.

The warm water felt amazing on his bruised and battered skin as he scrubbed the grime away. He studied the bottles that were sitting on the side of the tub. The labels read 'shampoo' and 'conditioner' in Lawrence's handwriting. "He even makes his own hair products?" Basil whispered to himself as he smelled the shampoo. It smelled nice, like aloe and some other fragrances Basil couldn't place. He squeezed some out and washed his hair thoroughly, watching as blood and dirt ran down the drain.

He finished up his shower and took the towel from the nearby holder, drying himself off quickly. He started to wonder what he was going to do about clothes, Lawrence couldn't want him to just stay nude, could he? He rapped on the door a few times and waited. No answer.

The door slowly swung open as he held the towel firmly around his waist. He couldn't see anyone in front of him. He ventured out hesitantly "Lawrence?" he called out gently, looking around as he walked further into the living area. He started thinking maybe Lawrence had left when he turned around and was taken aback by him standing right behind him. He yelped and fell backwards, landing roughly on the ground, trying to hold the towel in place.

"Ah! I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you.." Lawrence explained. He held out a few folded articles of clothes "Here... they'll probably be a bit big on you but... your other clothes are..." He looked away ashamed "You can't wear them anymore..." He finally finished.

Basil pushed himself up and took the clothes from him "Thank you.." smiling gently he walked to change in the bathroom. He was given a large, grey short sleeve shirt and a pair of light green, cotton sleep shorts. The shirt fit ok, albeit a bit baggy and he used the draw string on the shorts to fit to size. He awkwardly shuffled out of the bathroom, clicking the light off and returned hesitantly to the chair. Lawrence joined him by his side, he had a roll of duct tape in his hand, preparing to strap him back down.

"Ah... you.. don't need to do that... I'm not going anywhere... I..." realization set in and he remembered he had no family or friends that was even looking for him. He might as well be a ghost, no one would notice if he disappeared. Tears began to form in his eye as he spoke "I have no where else to go...." His shoulders shook gently as he tried not to cry, knowing it upset Lawrence.

He was looking at him with sympathy, trying to decide what to do. He looked at the tape in his hands then back to Basil. He finally let out a sigh and pulled a strip away from the roll, grabbing his arm and taping it down. He looked at him with pure sadness in his eye as he was once again restrained. This time, Lawrence left his legs unrestricted.

"You... You may think you have no where to go but... I know... I know something will take you away from me... I can't... I just need to think about it, ok?" he seemed to be fighting with himself on this and Basil noticed the tape wasn't nearly as tight as it was at first, he bet he could rip it easily if he tried.

Lawrence looked out the window behind him and sighed "Look... it's almost morning and I'm tired... You must be too... get some sleep and... we'll decide what to do later...". Basil had hope that maybe he was getting through to Lawrence, maybe he would actually get out of here alive. He smiled genuinely at Lawrence and nodded obediently.

"Ok, Lawrence... I trust you... "

 


	10. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a small warning, the next chapter is going to have sexual scenes.

The soft sounds of rain pattering against the window caused Basil to stir gently in his sleep, his head turning slightly to try to roll away from the sound, the tape stopping him in place. He slowly opened his eyes, remembering where he was again, wishing he didn't have to wake up to look at this scenery anymore. His head turned to check Lawrence's bed. It was empty.

"Lawrence....?" Basil called out, trying to shift his head around to peek behind his shoulder. It was completely quiet in the apartment. He glanced towards the bathroom, the light was off, he must not be in there. He called out his name again, a little louder this time only to be answered by silence.

He shifted his arms a little, feeling the give of the tape. He remembered Lawrence didn't restrain him very tightly this time and he knew he could tear through this. He checked the room again. It seemed safe. He took a breath in and tugged a little harder, the tape pulling up and away from the chair slightly, stretching upwards. He was breathing harder wondering why Lawrence would leave him like this. Did he know he would try to escape? Was this a test?

Basil sat thinking about what to do. He started thinking maybe Lawrence _is_ still here, hiding, waiting for him to try to leave. He thought back on what Lawrence had said to him the night before about how he knew he would try to leave. Basil sighed sadly, he knew this had to be a trick. He glanced behind him again. But what if it wasn't? What _if_ he could leave right now. Tear the tape away and run as far as he could, maybe Lawrence wouldn't find him.

Suddenly he remembered his bag, or more importantly, his ID. His heart dropped, realizing Lawrence could easily find where he lived if he went home. He really didn't have anywhere to go now. No where but here, in Lawrence's loving arms.

He stuck his feet straight out, wriggling them slightly in the air. He was happy his feet were at least free. He wasn't going to let them atrophy anytime soon if he could help it, especially if he does get the chance to make a break for it.

The plant jingled softly, shifting to change position around his head. He glared at it in his peripheral vision, offended that it was just making itself at home. He was happy that he had a little company though, it would be a lot more lonely without it.

He tried to think of all the positives of his situation "At least I'm finally meeting new people." He joked to himself "And... and I'm getting fed for free now... that's nice..." a light chuckle escaping his lips as he thought out loud "Hmm... no more paying bills for now I guess, right?". He stared down at his feet, wiggling his toes gently. He noticed his nails had grown out into sharp, claw like points, causing him to laugh to himself. "Aaaah... and Lawrence is really handsome...". He shook his head, not believing what he just said, his cheeks lighting up in embarrassment.

His focus drifted up to the ceiling, noticing a few stains littering the plaster. He sighed heavily "I wonder if... I wonder if things could work out like this..." He closed his eye thoughtfully "I do... kind of like him... but... He seems so... gone..." his greenish tongue moved to lick his dry lips "I'm going to die here.... aren't I..." his voice started breaking as sadness overwhelmed him, a tear sneaking out of his closed lid and streaking down his cheek.

\-----------------------------

A lot of time went by as Basil sat, waiting for his captor to return home. He started feeling more and more regretful that he didn't try to escape. He would have had time and he felt if he tried now it would be his luck to be the moment Lawrence returns. He stared out the window, watching the rain roll down, leaving long trails in the foggy glass. He wondered if Lawrence was ok and then quickly scolded himself for thinking that. It would be good if something happened, he told himself, cause then he could escape.

No matter what he told himself, he couldn't stop worrying about him.

What if he got hurt?

_'How would he get hurt, he's like 6 feet tall and as strong as an ox...'_

What if he got in a car accident

_'So what? Then I could get out of here.'_

What if he gets sick?

_'.........'_

He looked back out the window, his internal dialog coming to a halt. "What... What if he _does_ get sick..." He questioned out loud to himself. He shimmied around uncomfortably in the chair, his mind filled with the thought, then drifting back to previous questions his mind had presented. "I... I don't want him to get hurt..." his throat felt tight, the feeling of crying welling up inside him. He couldn't figure out why he was feeling this way. This man hurt him. He kidnapped him and hurt him, so why was he....

The sound of the doorknob jiggling shocked him out of his thoughts, craning to look behind him. He heard wet footsteps entering the apartment, followed by the sound of something wet falling to the ground, then more shuffling. Eventually Lawrence came to stand in front of Basil, he had removed his shirt and was left in only some very wet jeans. He looked tired and annoyed, hopefully just from the rain.

Basil felt the tears welling up in his eye, relief flooding his body "Lawrence!" He exclaimed, earning a very surprised and confused reaction from Lawrence who jumped at the sudden outburst "I... I was worried about you..." Basil blurted out, unable to hold back his joyful crying.

Lawrence looked around confused for a moment, having a hard time processing this. He slowly approached him, kneeling down in front of him and studying his face, looking for signs of lying. "You... you were really worried about me?" He sounded completely taken aback "...Why?".

"I... I just worried about you... I'm sorry...." Basil looked away, beginning to feel really embarrassed "I didn't want... anything to happen to you..." He bit his bottom lip, accidentally drawing blood with his sharp teeth.

Lawrence's eyes filled with a happiness Basil hadn't seen before as Lawrence grabbed him around the shoulders, yanking him forward roughly into his arms. Basil made a soft pained noise as his body was bent uncomfortably, going unnoticed as Lawrence held him tight. He could feel his body was hot against his and it felt as though he were shaking. Was Lawrence... crying?

He remained quiet as he listened to Lawrence's soft sniffling sounds in his ear, he would do anything to be free right now, just so he could return the affection. Slowly he watched as the vines uncurled from around him and moved to wrap gently around Lawrence's neck, tangling softly through out his slightly damp hair. He got the sensations running through the plants delicate bristles, being able to feel the softness of Lawrence's skin and hair. He sighed happily and nuzzled against him gently.

Slowly Lawrence pulled away from him, letting the vines uncurl gently. His soft blue eyes staring into Basil's amber one, a look of confusion and joy on Lawrence's face. He looked as if he didn't know what to do next, frozen in some sort of limbo, unable to process the situation at hand. Basil picked up on it and decided he'd make a choice for him, pushing himself up as far as he could, his lips softly landing against Lawrence's.

He felt him stiffen up like a deer in head lights, his eyes widening in shock as he stood frozen against Basil. He pressed further, his laurel green lips pushing against soft, pink ones. Slowly Lawrence's eyes shut as he accepted it, savoring the feeling for as long as he could, time feeling as if it were stopped. Lawrence pushed harder, deepening the kiss, his hands moving down to grip Basil's secured wrists as he pressed himself against him. He pushed his tongue roughly against Basil's mouth, commanding him to open it, he quickly submitted, allowing him in.

He began to feel a heat rising in his stomach as Lawrence kissed him roughly, pushing closer and closer against him, as if he couldn't get close enough. Basil could hear the chair straining underneath them and his wrists felt like they were being crushed under the weight of him. Finally Lawrence pushed too far, sending the chair falling backwards, the wind being knocked out of Basil as he hit the floor with a thud before getting crushed under the weight of Lawrence who came toppling on top of him, his hands landing square on his chest as he used him to break his fall.

Basil coughed hard, pain filling his body as he struggled for air "Oh... Uh..." Lawrence was stammering over him shyly, still supporting his weight on Basil who tried to say something, unable to get any words out. "W...What...?".

"Hhhh... I.... Said.... You're...... Crushing.... me...." Basil finally managed to breathe out. Lawrence slowly looked down at his hands in confusion, his eyes widening when he realized what he was doing. He quickly pushed himself up and off of him, pushing the air out of his lungs once more, causing him to cough again.

"S..... Sorry..." Lawrence murmured as he stood, a smile still present on his face. Basil finally caught his breath and looked down at himself. He noticed the tape on the arm he pulled harder was now ripped more and he began to grow nervous.

Lawrence picked up on the uncomfortable expression on Basil's face and came to look at what he was focused on. Slowly a look at disgust took over his expression and he looked down at Basil angrily. "Did you... Did you try to escape....?" He questioned, his voice beginning to shake.

"W...What...? N-no... No, It ripped just now!" He tried to defend himself, the sudden pain of Lawrence's foot pressing against his rib cage cutting off his voice. He struggled and grunted under the weight, trying to force out any words he could, only for them to come out as weak breathes.

He slowly continued to press down, making it harder and harder to breath, his nails digging helplessly into the wood of the chair, breaking some of them off. "P.............. Ple..... Please....." He begged weakly, his legs kicking uselessly as Lawrence stared down at him expressionless, his bones feeling like they'll break any moment now.

Basil slowly felt his vision fading, his legs falling limply to the floor. His vision went black for a moment before slowly fading back in, air filling his lungs as Lawrence lifted his foot off of him. He took in breath after breath, trying to get in as much oxygen as he could. "I...." Lawrence started, but looked away sadly "I... believe you...". Relief flooded Basil as he was carefully lifted up and off the ground, the view of the table in front of him feeling like home now.

He chewed his lip awkwardly as he tried to think of what to say to ease Lawrence "You... You know... If I wanted to escape, wouldn't I have tried while you were gone...?" He questioned cautiously, his response a look of danger in Lawrence's eyes as he glanced at him. He felt a chill go up his spine, but continued "I just mean... doesn't that mean I don't want to leave...?" He internally crossed his fingers, hoping he didn't cross a line.

Lawrence looked like he was contemplating what he was just told, his eyes staring towards the window then to Basil. A smile returned to his face and he approached him again, leaning down to pick something up off the floor. That familiar silver glint in his hand was all too recognizable as Basil pushed himself back against the chair in fear.

"It's ok... I'm not going to hurt you... " He assured him, pressing the blade against the tape and slicing easily through it. Basil was shocked as he lifted his hands up to rub his wrists, looking up at Lawrence in confusion. "Maybe.... I mean, I've been thinking a lot and... I think maybe it would be ok... as long as I'm here...." He tried to explain himself as he set the knife back down on the table. "Just... don't go near the door.... ok?" his voice was calm but held an air of threat behind it.

Basil nodded, still shocked by this development, not sure if he should move or not, staring up at Lawrence, waiting for permission to stand up. Lawrence backed up a few steps, never taking his eyes off him as he slowly rose to his feet. He looked around, trying to get a feel for the rest of the apartment. He noticed the amount of plants in the apartment was staggering, ferns hanging from many places, tiny succulents on any surface including the floor and large palms scattered about.

He wondered how he could take care of so many all the time, he must really love them. He looked down at his hands, staring at how green his skin has changed now. He wondered if that's how he felt about him now, does he love him like he loves his plants?

His eye drifted back up and took note of a small kitchen like area in the corner. There was a little counter space and a sink along with a fridge that was wedged in between. A small card table was in the corner with a single chair placed in front of it. He looked down at the chair he had been confined to, it must be the other one in the set. He noticed there was a few, large stains on the carpet, mostly behind where he was sitting. He gulped at the thought. He could have ended up another stain like that.

He turned to look at Lawrence who was keeping a close eye on him, he smiled back at Basil's questioning glance, giving him permission to explore the apartment. He moved carefully, checking Lawrence every few steps to make sure he didn't randomly change his mind.

Basil looked at the books stacked on a small bookshelf, most of them about botany and gardening, some of them seemed strange and confusing with pictures of mortar and pestles with instructions on how to mix certain things. Lawrence must be really into apothecary, he thought to himself as he flipped through the pages before setting it back down.

A sudden shuffle behind him made him jump, turning around slowly. He saw that Lawrence had moved to sit on his bed, running his hands through his hair. He looked frustrated, like he wasn't sure what choice to make "Basil... Can you... sit back down in the chair?" Lawrence asked, though his voice made it sound more like a demand. Basil obeyed, quickly rushing back to his seat.

Lawrence sighed, annoyed at himself "You.... I don't know what to do with you... " He started to sound more agitated as he spoke and Basil started to worry. He didn't want to be taped down, he couldn't sleep like that again.

"Can I..." There was a pause as Basil thought his words carefully "Maybe I can sleep with you...?" He fidgeted with his hands as he spoke, noticing his nails had already grown back from being ripped off earlier, they too had become sharp and claw like now.

Lawrence looked taken aback, a deep scarlet hue staining his cheeks before looking away nervously. "I.... I don't.... Uh..." he was stuttering as he spoke "I.... I don't know if that's... a very good idea.....".

Basil pushed himself off the chair and carefully walked towards him, causing Lawrence to jump a little, but he didn't protest. He sat down cautiously next to him, his hands in his lap as he stared down, thinking of his next move, maybe if he could get Lawrence to sleep he could get out of here.

He slowly scooted closer to Lawrence, pressing his shoulder against him. He could feel him tense at the sudden contact, but he wasn't rebuffed. He raised his hand to gently touch Lawrence's, who spread his fingers, allowing Basil to intertwine them together.

Lawrence let out a soft sigh as they sat there together for a few moments. "Have you..." He began, his voice calm and gentle "Have you ever wanted to freeze a moment...?" His hand gripped Basil's harder "A moment that you know you'll never get to experience again? Something you want to... reach out and capture.... to bottle it somewhere safe to revisit again in your thoughts..." Basil started to feel uneasy, the atmosphere of the room seeming to change, feeling tenser. "I know I'll... lose you... probably soon... but... if only I could keep this... perfect... beautiful moment in time... I think I'd like that...." Basil tried to turn inconspicuously to study Lawrence's face. He was staring down at their hands, an off putting smile on his face. He looked serene but there was something terribly... off.

Basil shuffled his feet together awkwardly, he could sense trouble in the air, his vines ringing softly as he thought about his choices "You know..." He tried to keep his voice level to match Lawrence's calm demeanor "We could... make lots of moments like this... not the same, but... different... I'm not going to leave you..." He held his breath waiting for a response, he prayed it worked.

He felt Lawrence's grip tighten around his fingers, feeling like he could snap them like twigs. He winced in pain, but did not dare make a sound "No... You won't stay... You _can't_ stay.... there's no force in the world that could keep you with me... " he saw Lawrence look around the room, as if searching for something. Basil really hoped it wasn't the knife again.

Lawrence carefully removed his hand, standing up and walking to retrieve something. He came back and Basil recognized the item immediately. He was holding that duct tape again, slowly pulling the tape up before tearing a long piece with his teeth. "I... can keep you with me... at least for tonight....". Basil looked fearfully at the chair before his wrist was painfully grabbed, his whole body being shoved backwards onto the bed. Lawrence wrenched his arm up, placing his wrist against the metal frame of his bed before securing it. He moved quickly to match his other wrist.

He stepped back, admiring his work as Basil laid surprised, but relieved he wasn't in the chair tonight. The bed was much more comfortable. Lawrence slowly crawled over him, joining him in the empty spot against the wall. He laid on his side facing him, his hand moving to brush the hair from his face. His hand drifted down, caressing his neck softly, he tugged at his choker and Basil tried to shake his head, concerned. Lawrence carefully undid the necklace, pulling it off and admiring the small holes the vines had left. His fingers gently brushed the plant that was sticking out slightly, causing it to wiggle gently before crawling deeper inside.

His fingers pushed against the wounds, it didn't hurt but still elicited a scared whimper from Basil. He slowly pushed his finger tip inside, he could feel more of the vines shifting around beneath the surface. "Please... Please don't.." Basil begged and, much to his surprise, Lawrence retracted his finger and instead let it trail down Basil's body until it was at his stomach. He pressed his palm flat against it and rubbed along it's surface, slowly wrapping his arm around his waist. It felt nice and Basil finally relaxed in his arms. He realized how tired he felt and how warm and inviting the bed was. He felt his eye becoming heavier, getting harder and harder to keep it open.

He felt Lawrence shift, moving closer to cuddle against him, his warm lips pressing softly against his throat. He slowly let the darkness overtake him as he drifted to sleep.


	11. The River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BIG WARNINGS OOOOOOH
> 
> this chapter starts with some NSFW, not too much but yeah.
> 
> A bigger warning is that this chapter touches on child abuse, so please read with caution! thank you!

Basil's eye fluttered open as he was awoken by the sensation of something gently rocking him. He could feel something rubbing softly against his back and the feel of hands carefully gliding along his stomach. He realized his hands were free now, or rather, freer now. They've been released from the bed frame and taped together in front of him so that he could be turned onto his side.

The soft sounds of panting could be heard behind him and he slowly realized Lawrence was awake, his hands moving delicately along his front as he pressed his body up against him. Basil's face grew hot as he put together what was happening, not sure if he should announce that he's awake or if he should just continue to stay still and quiet and let him finish.

He chose to keep his mouth shut and pretend he was still asleep, though he couldn't hide that his body was slowly heating up, the sensation of Lawrence's hands dancing over his soft skin becoming increasingly hard to ignore. He tried to keep his breathing level and calm to pretend he was still asleep, he closed his eye shut tight to try to block it out.

Suddenly one of Lawrence's hands ventured further down, lightly grazing the front of his shorts. He bit down hard on his lip to stifle the sounds that were trying to escape. Carefully Lawrence continued to sweep his finger tips across it, his body betraying his wishes as he could feel his arousal building inside him. He heard a small gasp from behind him, his hand stopping over his sensitive middle.

He felt him press slightly harder against him, his hand coming down to rest firmly upon his hardening manhood as he moved. It was becoming too much and Basil couldn't keep it in, a soft, but audible moan escaping his lips. Lawrence stopped moving immediately, freezing in place. He could feel his body tense before Lawrence shot straight up, a surprised yelp falling out of his mouth.

"Y...You're awake?!" He awkwardly exclaimed, tugging the blanket up to cover his lower body. Basil tried to lift himself up as far as he could with his hands restrained, looking away embarrassed. There was a long silence as they both sat there, unsure of what to do now. "I...I'm sorry I... uh... I thought you were sleeping..." he fiddled with the blanket "I mean... you... looked so... still and peaceful...." a nervous smile pulled at the corners of his mouth "and you're... still warm...".

Basil shifted uncomfortably, his body still excited from the touch he had received earlier "You..." He wasn't sure what to say, but he did feel good "You... don't have to stop..." He looked up at Lawrence who's face had shifted to an expression of uncertainty as he absorbed what he was just told. Basil pushed himself up and crawled to Lawrence on his knees, placing his tethered hands on one of his thighs "You don't have to tie me up either...".

Lawrence shifted uncomfortably, his face flushed from embarrassment. Slowly the vines crept forward towards Lawrence, finding their way around his legs. He started breathing harder as he let them roam his body, Basil quietly absorbing the sensations that were passed through the plant matter into his nervous system. He could feel how warm Lawrence was and how smooth his skin was as the vines gently slid along his upper thighs.

They made their way to the top of his underwear, carefully sliding underneath to wrap around more of his body. He let out a soft moan as they squeezed him gently. Lawrence glanced up to look into Basil's eye, his cold blue eyes glinting in the dim light of the lamps. His hands moved to caress Basil gently around the neck before the plant squeezed again prompting him to shove him backwards roughly, pinning him to the bed by the throat.

Basil couldn't breathe as air was being refused from him as Lawrence choked him, his soft blonde hair falling forward, tickling his face gently as he struggled. The strangling didn't deter the plant as it continued to work, squeezing and rubbing Lawrence's most sensitive areas. His breathing became harsher as he grew close, bucking up slightly into the vines. Basil's vision was fading as his lungs constricted, screaming for air, the soft ringing of the plants growing louder in his head as the room grew darker.

Suddenly he felt Lawrence's body tense up as he let out a low moan, his hands squeezing harder. Basil heard a soft crunch in his throat before everything went black.

\---------------------------------------------

"You know... you really need to stop being difficult..." The sharp sting of alcohol burned as it was applied to the fresh cuts that marred Basil's freckled arm bringing a tear to his eye. "And stop crying, you really need to man up sometimes, Basil. It's getting a little ridiculous.".

Basil wiped the tears away with his free arm as his big sister wrapped the gauze tightly around his wrist. "...I know... I'm sorry..." he sniffled quietly, trying to block out the pain.

She sighed exasperatedly as she finished "You know... I only nag you about this because... I'm not going to be around forever. In a couple months I can actually get away from this place... and I can't protect you anymore..." She trailed off sadly as Basil looked down, feigning off the urge to cry "I'd take you with me if I could... you know that... I just can't take it anymore...".

He nodded solemnly as she lifted his arm up to place a soft kiss over the dressed wound. They sat in silence for a few moments before she slapped him playfully on the leg, hopping up from her place on the fallen log "Come on! lets go do something fun! We can go to the lake and catch frogs or somethin'.".

Basil smiled shyly, finally looking up from his feet "No way, you're just going to put them down my shirt again." She stuck her tongue out in response and grabbed his better wrist, giving him a sharp tug to him feet.

They walked along the dirt path to the lake, the forest trees moving softly in the warm summer breeze. Basil felt something crawling on his neck and quickly slapped at it, examining his hand. There wasn't any bug residue, so he figured it flew away. A few moments past and the tickling returned, prompting him to slap again. He could hear his sister giggling as he checked. Turning towards her he saw that she had a long cat tail in her hand, she wriggled it against his nose playfully "Fern! Knock it off! That's so mean, you big bully!" Basil yelled, trying to snatch the plant out of her hand.

She flashed a toothy grin as she continued to pull it away, just out of his grasp. Finally he leapt just quick enough to snatch it from her, he stuck his tongue out and held it away from her. She laughed and ruffled his shaggy, black hair, earning an irritated grumble from her young brother.

They finally reached the lake, the setting sun shining brightly against the water's surface in brilliant golds and oranges. The sound of fish splashing up to catch the random water skipper filling the air as they made their way to the rocky shore. Basil knelt down, spotting a few bones leftover from some animals lunch. His hands drew closer, barely grazing the bone before the sound of his sister yelling snapped him out of his focus "Oh my god, Basil! That's so gross! You shouldn't touch that, you'll get a disease!". He rolled his eyes at her as she criticized him, sneaking a few of the bones and shoving them in his pocket before standing back up.

He joined Fern at the edge of the water, watching her skip rocks across the lake. She was really good, Basil thought, She could hit up to 10 skips sometimes. He studied the ground until he found the perfect skipping rock, nice and flat with a bit of a circle shape to it. Fern watched in anticipation as he took an exaggerated stance, pulling his hand back like he was going to toss it. He stopped suddenly, bringing his hand up to lick a finger, jokingly testing the airs direction. Fern giggled as she watched him mess around, pretending to be calculating the perfect way to throw the rock.

She playfully tapped her foot impatiently as if he was taking up so much of her time. Finally he looked satisfied, turning towards the lake and reeling his arm back. The rock landed against the water with a small splash, sinking to the bottom immediately. She started laughing loudly, her sides hurting as she tried to catch her breath. Basil just struck a proud pose "One!" He announced happily as Fern knelt down, trying to stop herself from laughing.

As she calmed down Basil heard the crunch of a branch in the nearby brush, his eyes darting quickly to the spot. He saw the glint of something yellow as it took off deeper into the woods. His sister noticed where his attention was driven, glancing behind her shoulder to the area "What are you looking at?" She questioned, her breathing normalizing.

"Ah...nothing... I thought I saw something..." He answered, still curious but deciding to play it off by picking up another rock and tossing it into the water, failing to skip it again.

"It was probably just a deer or something." she commented as she leaned back, her hands supporting her weight behind her. She sighed wistfully and patted the ground next to her, inviting Basil to join her on the shore.

They both sat, admiring the different shades the water changed as the sun descended past the trees. He felt her hand on his shoulder as she softly pulled him closer, his head resting against her shoulder. He could hear her sniffling above him and he shifted slightly in her arms, knowing exactly what she was crying about.

The sound of a loon echoed through the air, breaking the calm silence. Fern sighed sadly before finally speaking "You know... I've been reading a lot lately...", her hand rubbing Basil's shoulder soothingly.

"You always read a lot..." He sarcastically remarked. She pushed him gently, teasing back.

She looked down at him, a joking glare on her face. Basil smiled and mimed a zipper across his lips. She looked back out to the sparkling lake as she continued "You know those old law books mom and dad left us? Well... I've... Been looking for a way to get custody of you when I get out of here....".

Basil suddenly pushed up from her embrace, looking into her eyes excitedly "W-what?! You... you really think you could..?!" His voice was loud as he asked. Fern just put her finger to his lips to quiet him down.

"Yeah... It would take time though... They don't like giving custody to someone who's just turned 18.... and doesn't have a job... or a home..." His smile slowly faded as he slunk back down, pulling his knees to his chest sadly. "But hey!" She interjected, sitting forward to look at his face "I get good grades so it wouldn't be that hard to get a job! I can probably get some grocer job or something until I get into college and we could get some little apartment in the city or something... It'll be ok, you just gotta... hold out a little longer, ok?" she gently punched his arm to cheer him up.

He smiled softly and nodded his head as he watched her stand up, stretching her arms before she held out a hand to help him up. "It's getting pretty dark, we better get home." He looked towards the ground nervously before taking hold of her hand and letting her hoist him up.

Basil listened to Fern's footsteps as she carried him on her back, watching the trees slowly pass by. It was already dark now as she trudged along the well used trail, the grass long since trampled away. The rustle of leaves caught his attention as Fern walked absentmindedly along. Basil studied the darkened woodland, searching for any source of the sound. He looked towards the piney shrubs, barely making out the hint of yellow that was illuminated in the moonlight.

He strained his eyes to see through the darkness, making out the outline of a person. Before he could see it any better it turned and took off deeper into the trees, disappearing into the shadows.

The rest of the walk was quiet, no sounds aside from the soft chirping of crickets. Basil could see the house slowly coming into view over the horizon, causing a nervous chill to run down his spine. He hoped his adoptive mother wasn't still mad at him, he gulped, the fear creeping up his back. He wasn't even sure what she was mad at him about, Fern had told him to just keep his mouth shut so she wouldn't hit him, but it didn't seem to matter once she started drinking.

He glanced at his wrist, the scratches hidden away by the bandages. He grabbed at Fern's shirt unconsciously, gripping it nervously in his hands. He could feel her breathing hitch as she nuzzled her head backwards against his face, her long ponytail brushing against his cheek softly.

They finally approached the door and she carefully set him down on the porch, she pressed her ear to the door to listen for any signs of movement. It seemed quiet, a lot of the lights already off as she quietly unlocked the door, trying her hardest not to make any sound as she opened it.

The house seemed empty for the most part, Basil noticed another car in the driveway as he stood waiting for his sister to guide him in. She must have another "Beau" over tonight. He hoped he wouldn't be like the last few she had over, a feeling of nausea building up in his stomach as he thought about it.

The feel of Fern tugging his sleeve towards her startled him out of his thoughts as she motioned for him to follow. They both crept quietly up the stairs, keeping as close to the wall as possible to try to avoid making the wood strain. They finally reached their shared room and she clicked the door closed behind them, leaving the light off.

She quickly helped him into his pajamas and into bed, tucking the green blanket snugly over him before changing herself. She thumbed through the small bookshelf that separated their beds looking for something good. "Can you.. Can you read the taxidermy one again..?" Basil whispered to her softly. She smiled back and carefully removed the book from it's place, sitting softly on the bed near him.

"You're a weird kid, you know that?" She joked softly as she flipped through the pages, looking for a good chapter to read.

He twiddled his toes under the covers, staring at the embroidered leaf patterns on his sheets "Mom didn't think so.." He whispered back. She glanced at him and smiled sadly, running a hand through his hair to move his bangs out of the way.

She looked back to the book before she started, speaking quietly, but loud enough for him to hear "Chapter 6 skinning and preserving skins.." he smiled happily and nuzzled into the pillow getting comfortable "With a suitable specimen at hand it is for us to decide if we shall mount it or preserve it as a skin temporarily or indefinitely..." she read on, her words slowly fading out as Basil's eyes became heavier as he slowly drifted to sleep.

\---

The sound of glass shattering suddenly startled him awake, his hands clutching at the sheets in fear. He looked towards Fern's bed, noticing she was gone. He heard another loud crash in the floor below him followed by indistinguishable shouting. He carefully pulled himself out of the bed, trying to place his feet down on the wood floor as quietly as possible.

He crept down the hallway towards the stairs, trying his best to stay near the walls and furniture. He could hear the voices getting louder and he could tell it was his sister and his adoptive mother. He walked down the stairs, trying to peek into the kitchen through the arch. They were out of view, he tried to get closer, jumping back as he saw a wine bottle fly through the air, shattering loudly onto the tile floor.

"You think I want you brats here?! You're so ungrateful for everything I do for you! You think I would have taken you in if your deadbeat mother didn't ask me to?! How was I supposed to know she'd get herself killed like that!?" he could hear Fern gasp angrily before the sound of the table being thrown over resounded loudly.

"Don't you dare talk about my mom like that you bitch!" She screamed back defensively, her voice was shaking and Basil felt tears welling in his eyes, unsure of what to do.

The sound of skin smacking against skin filled the air and then silence. Basil crept closer, peering into the room while he hid behind the wall. He saw his adoptive mother's hand raised in the air and Fern's reddening cheek. He felt anger welling inside him as he watched, feeling helpless.

Suddenly Fern pushed past her, running out the glass backdoor, the angry woman shouting after her. Basil felt panic rise up inside him and he quickly darted into the room to run after her. He felt a sharp pain in his scalp as his hair was pulled roughly, stopping him before he could get out. She pulled him hard, throwing him backwards into the hard kitchen island.

He felt his head hit the wooden surface and his vision lit up white for a moment "Where do you think you're going?!" She screamed at him as he tried to get his bearings back. She began walking towards him, her hands balled into fists. His eyes widened and he pushed himself off the ground as fast as possible, dodging her as she grabbed for him.

He made it out the door and started running in the direction he saw his sister go, pushing aside the tall grass in the way. He could hear her yelling after him behind his back, but he kept running.

He felt like he was running forever, he could feel his legs strain underneath him, forcing him to slow to a walk. He shouted for his sister, hearing no response. He saw the lake coming into the view as he pushed out of the thick woodland, falling to his knees out of breath.

He heard the branches near him crack and break, he quickly looked up, Fern's name starting to come out of his mouth, fading into silence. He watched as another boy pushed through the woods and walked towards the lake.

Basil shakily stood up, his body still tired from running so far and approached him "Ah... H... Hello.." He squeaked out, earning the strangers attention. He looked him over, noticing his shoulder length, blonde hair which had a couple thin braids scattered throughout, decorated with leaves and tiny flowers. The next thing he noticed was the strange markings on his body, they looked as if they were drawn on with some sort of berry or henna. There were swirls covering his chest in intricate patterns and something that looked like ruins scattered in the design. A thick black bar also went across the upper part of both his arms. He was a little taller than himself as well, he looked to be a couple years older, maybe 9 or 10.

His cold blue eyes were staring apathetically at him, his face expressionless as he sized Basil up as well. He eventually looked away uninterested, focusing back on the lake. Basil shuffled uncomfortably "Have... Have you seen my sister out here? She's 17 and she has long black hair and..." he trailed off, the other boy walking away from him, towards the water.

"Please... She ran away and... I'm worried about her..." he pleaded softly. The boy turned to look at him, his face still expressionless as he looked Basil up and down again, his head softly shaking no. Basil sighed sadly and looked around the area.

He jumped when he approached him suddenly, leaning forward to stare into his honey brown eyes. "Ah... Uh... H..Hi...?" Basil stammered out, confused "My name is... B-" a finger rose quickly to his mouth, stopping him in the middle of his words, the boy shaking his head no again.

"Don't..." his voice was as cold as his stare as he warned Basil, causing him to gulp out of fear. The stranger backed away and pointed at himself "Jackalope." he calmly announced, Basil picked up on it, figuring he should come up with some animal code name or something. He tried to think of one, though nothing came to mind.

The blonde kid reached out, placing his palm against Basil's chest, looking like he was focusing on something, his eyebrows lifting as he came to a conclusion "You're... a mouse..." Basil stared back at him, confused about what exactly was happening.

He pulled his hand away, staring at him blankly, before turning to walk away. "H-hey, wait..." Basil started, but quickly silenced himself when he saw the boy turn around, his head motioning for him to follow. He joined him by his side and they began to walk around the lake.

They walked in silence, the sounds of their feet pressing against the rocks below them the only sound in the air. Basil quickly stole glances at the strange boy who stared longingly at the lake, his expression serene and calm. "Do you want to see a secret?" the silence was finally broken by jackalope's sudden question causing Basil to jump.

He looked towards him, noticing a slight smile hinting his face, though barely noticeable. "Uh... sure... Ok..." he agreed, his hurt wrist suddenly being grabbed as he was dragged quicker along the shore, he let out a pained hiss which went unnoticed.

\----

Basil saw a small boathouse slowly coming into view as they briskly walked, jackalope slowly coming to a halt and turning to study Basil. He gulped as the other boy inspected his expression, seeming to be searching for something. He nodded and began walking towards the boathouse, turning around to see if Basil was following.

He quickly took the hint, running to catch up to him as they went around the corner. There was a large area on the ground where it looked as if the dirt had been recently disturbed. He stared down at it, not noticing the other boy grabbing a shovel behind him. He jumped when Jackalope began digging into the earth, he looked as if he's done it before.

A small pile of dirt was beginning to accumulate near by as Basil watched the boy dig, watching as sweat rolled down his back. Suddenly he came to a halt, looking up at Basil dully "Have you seen it?" his voice was steady and low as he asked.

"...Seen what?" he whispered back, the air feeling unnaturally cold around him.

A smile slowly crept along his face as he watched Basil shift uncomfortably "The river.". Basil just stared back at him, confused about what he was talking about before he began again "My mom's seen the river.... So have my sisters...." he looked down, an expression of shame filling his face "I don't know why I can't... They want me to... It's... important...". Basil looked around the area, he had no idea where he was and was beginning to feel nervous.

"But... I know if I try harder I can see it... " his eyes looked wild as he looked straight into Basil's, sending a chill down his spine "I've heard it's beautiful... and warm... It's a place that's better than here..." he looked down in  remorse before he plunged the shovel back into the ground, going back into his rhythm of digging.

The sound of the shovel hitting something soft sounded in the air followed by the boy making a happy huff as he knelt down to pull at something. Basil shifted forward, crawling closer towards the hole til he could see into it. His eyes widened and he jumped backwards, landing on his back. His breathing was accelerating as he tried to scramble to his feet to get away. He started to run, but was stopped when a hand roughly grabbed his ankle, toppling him to the ground.

He turned behind and saw Jackalope had taken hold him, hanging halfway out of the hole, his icy eyes boring into him threateningly. "P-please! Don't hurt me!" He yelped as he struggled against the firm grasp of the stranger.

He watched as he crawled up, out of the ground and above him, pinning his wrists down painfully, his face hovering uncomfortably close to his, their noses almost touching as he shushed him. "Don't you dare make another sound." his breathy voice dripped venom as he warned Basil, his fingernails digging sharply into his skin.

He winced, but nodded his head in agreement as he was slowly released. He gasped as the front of his shirt was grabbed roughly, yanking him forward and into the hole. It took him a moment to register what just happened as he slowly felt the cold, fleshy lump underneath him that broke his fall.

His head slowly turned to his left, coming face to face with the rotting visage of a corpse, the eyes long since gone, most of the teeth now visible through the decayed cheek meat. He could smell the strong scent of rot as he screamed loudly, pushing his arms out to get away, only for them to sink deeply into the moist, soft flesh of the body's chest.

Tears were streaming down his face as he felt vomit rising up in his throat, the smell overwhelming him as he struggled. He could feel what has become of the internal organs as his hands tried to escape from his rib cage, tangled up in the roots that have grown inside. The feeling of worms and bugs wriggled against his fingers as his voice grew hoarse, he could hear the boy above him begin to talk.

"That's my father.... I'm sure he got to see the river...." he sounded eerily calm as Basil continued to struggle "He must have liked it so much... he decided to stay...". He jumped down into the hole next to Basil, the sound of decaying bone crunching beneath him. He bent down and watched as he tried to get out, fascinated by his suffering. He finally reached a hand out to grab his arm, giving it a sharp tug to free him.

Basil quickly leapt up, climbing his way out of the hole and taking off towards the lake. He glanced behind him, seeing the boy chasing behind him, catching up quickly. His foot caught on a larger rock, sending him tumbling forward, his head hitting the ground hard.

He laid in place trying to get his sense back, opening his eyes to see the blonde boy looming above him. He was smiling as he knelt down to sit on top of him, trapping him so he couldn't get away.

"I didn't mean to scare you... " he was calm, but something about the way he spoke seemed... off. "I'm... lonely. My mother won't allow me to have friends... She says they won't understand our ways..." he was looking off into the distance wistfully "I believed her... til I saw you... You understand don't you?" Basil stared back at him fearfully, unsure what to say, he started to open his mouth, only for it to be shut by Jackalope's dirt covered hand."No no... You don't need to say anything... I saw the look in your eyes when you saw the death... You still have it don't you?".

Basil looked up confused, he had no idea what he was talking about. Quickly a hand reached into his pocket, retrieving the bones he had collected earlier. His eyes widened in realization as he watched Jackalope carefully turn them around in his hands, rubbing the remaining decay off of them "You see... You understand... You know the beauty of death... There cannot be life without it... You wouldn't feel joy without fear... or sorrow.... I understand you, Mouse...".

Basil watched as he shoved the bones into his own pocket before looking towards the lake dreamily, his stare looking far away "Maybe... we can see it together...." he didn't have time to register the circumstance as Jackalope roughly grabbed him, yanking him to his feet and dragging him towards the water. He began struggling, no match for the boys unnatural strength as he was pulled into the lake, walking til the water was at their knees.

The water was rushing against them, the lake turning into a strong river a little up ahead as he was forced down to his knees, the water quickly rising to his throat. He was begging and pleading at the older boy to no avail. He kept the same serene look in his eyes as he forced his head under, holding it in place. He clawed at the boys wrists but he didn't seem to notice.

His head was yanked back up, he took the opportunity to gulp in as much air as he could. The boy bent down, putting his cheek against Basil's "Our ceremonies don't usually go like this but... I think I can do it... You just... relax and let the water take you... don't be scared... I'll be right beside you.... I'll meet you there, ok?" Basil tried to argue, his mouth opening slightly before he was plunged underneath again, water filling his mouth.

He continued to struggle against him, watching as the his air left his lungs in panicked bubbles. His head began to feel foggy and his arms grew weaker, falling limply into the water. He could see the light of the moonlight above the water slowly fade away into darkness.

\------

The water was warm as he felt the gentle currents splash against his body. His eyes slowly opened, seeing the monochrome water and fog that surrounded him. He looked around, there were no shores anywhere, but the water did not feel deep. Actually, It didn't feel like anything was at his feet, but at the same time they felt like they were being stopped by something. Like some invisible barrier, keeping him from floating away into nothing.

He slowly stood up, the water did not stay on his skin, instead it drifted away from his body like air.

He began to walk against the current, looking for land or any sign of life. He called out, but his voice stayed static, nothing carrying the sound and no echo. He heard the soft sound of fluttering in the distance like bird wings and he looked around, unable to see any source.

He walked for what felt like eternity until he finally saw something. There was a figure in the fog up ahead, it looked familiar. He began to run after it, calling out. His voice went unnoticed as the figure continued to walk away, further into the mist.

He was finally getting closer, almost reaching him when the sound of fluttering filled the air, pulling him backwards, away from the person. He saw him turn around slowly, blonde hair shining in the pale white light and ice blue eyes looking for him before the world went black again.

\-------

Red and blue lights filled his vision as he tried to wake up, grumbling softly. He could feel something in his throat as his eyes slowly opened. The breathing tube was pulled carefully from his mouth as he came back to life, the paramedic checking his pulse quickly before lifting him onto a stretcher.

He saw his adoptive mother out of the corner of his eye, crying crocodile tears. He remembered why he was in the woods and started panicking, pulling against the straps that were holding him down "Where's Fern?! Where's my sister?!" He screamed as the paramedics tried to keep him calm and still.

"Please, tell me where she is! Is she ok?!" he begged for answers, the man above him only looking down at him with remorse in his eyes. Basil's breathing began to increase rapidly, he needed to know she was ok. He struggled harder against the bindings, unable to do anything else as he was shoved into the back of the ambulance.

\-----

The hospital bed was uncomfortable as he waited patiently for answers. He watched the door, expecting to see Fern's concerned face as she rushes in to lecture him about how much she was worried.

He watched as the clocked ticked by, the hour hand going from 1 to 5 to 9 as time passed. Finally the door opened and he jumped up, his heart dropping as a police officer and a nurse entered the room. He began to ask him a lot of questions about what he was doing out in the woods. Basil explained exactly what happened... with his sister. He omitted the strange boy that drowned him and the corpse he was pressed against for so long.

"So... where is she?" he asked bluntly, his mind racing with possibilities. The look on the officers face made his heart drop as he fidgeted with his clipboard before sadly sighing.

"We.... We couldn't find her."

 

 

 

 


	12. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Im so sorry this took so long! I havent had much time to work on it OTL i was planning for it to be longer, but i didnt want to post pone it any longer.

Basil rolled over, his hands clutching the green sheets beneath him, his eyes fluttering open groggily. "W...What...?" He questioned out loud, his eyes adjusting to the setting sunlight streaming through the window. Looking down at this hands he noticed they were unbound. He rubbed at his sore wrists and looked around the apartment, he couldn't see Lawrence anywhere in the room.

He carefully pushed his legs out of the covers and onto the floor as he finished waking up. He noticed a sharp pain in his neck and rubbed it gently, hissing slightly from the pressure. He slowly started remembering what had happened, his face heating up in embarrassment.

The bathroom door was open and the light was off, maybe it was safe to take a shower, he thought as he shakily stood up from the bed and trudged towards it, glancing behind him again once more to make sure he was alone before quietly shutting the door behind him.

Steam began to fill the small bathroom as he waited for the water to heat up all the way. He examined himself in the mirror, noticing the huge, dark green bruise covering most of his throat. He sighed softly "My first time and I wasn't even the one that...." he trailed off, glancing at the few vines that were protruding from his face. "He was... was he purposefully trying to.... with you...?" he asked the plant, not expecting a response, but to try to piece things together.

He pushed the thoughts away as he climbed into the shower, letting the hot water run down his bruised and battered body. As he scrubbed himself with some of Lawrence's homemade soap, he noticed the cut on his leg was healed, the only reminder left was a thin, light green line where it used to be. He started wondering how much damage he could withstand if he had to, maybe he could defend himself against Lawrence... if it came to that.

The loud grumbling erupting from his stomach jolted him out of his thoughts. He rubbed it gently and wondered if there was any more of that 'meat' leftover. A chill ran down his spine thinking about it and he decided it would be best _not_ to think about it.

He stared down at the few articles of clothes he was given to wear, wondering if he would ever get anything that fit him a bit better. How long was he going to have to stay here? He was beginning to wonder if he even wanted to leave. He shook his head at the thought as he threw the musty clothes back on and headed for the kitchen.

The apartment was still quiet and seemingly empty as he walked lightly to the fridge. Bright light burst from the refrigerator as he opened it with a crack. His eyes adjusted slowly to the light and he searched for something to eat.

There were a few containers of foreign substances stacked randomly on the shelves as well as what looked like leftovers wrapped in foil. The bottom shelf held a few bottles of water and cans of random sodas. He checked the freezer on top next, feeling disappointment well up inside him, the only contents inside being some more random containers of unmarked fluids.

He sighed in defeat as he returned to the middle of the apartment to stand in front of the window. Looking outside he noticed it looked... oddly familiar. Maybe the neighborhoods around here look similar? He could have sworn he'd seen that car before...

The door opened behind him with a click as Lawrence walked tiredly into the apartment, his body freezing when he saw Basil. They stood motionless, staring at each other, waiting for someone to make a move.

Lawrence slowly crept towards him, he looked as if he were trying to not scare a feral animal to catch it. "Y....You're awake..." his voice was soft and low, he was trying his best to stay calm as he approached the smaller man. "You.... didn't try to leave..." he stopped a few feet away from him, his body in the way of the path to the door.

"Ah... Y-yeah... I... took a shower... I hope that's ok..." Basil rubbed his shoulder awkwardly as he explained himself, trying to ignore the primal fear in his gut.

Lawrence's eyes quickly glanced in the direction of the bathroom, shrugging softly "It's... Ok... " a sigh softly floated from his lips as he looked him up and down "Oh... my..... _your_ clothes are... a bit dirty now..." Basil looked down at himself, pulling the fabric of the baggy shirt away from his body for a moment. "I... wasn't expecting... this to last this long...".

Basil felt a little horrified, mixed with a tinge of honor at hearing that "Oh... Uh... yeah... It's... ok..." He tried to soothe Lawrence who was beginning to look a little depressed "Ah.. maybe..." he thought his words carefully, not knowing what might set his captor off "We could go to my place.... and I could get some things... clothes and stuff, you know?".

The look in Lawrence's eyes shone a dangerous glint for a moment and Basil felt as if his heart stopped, bracing himself for pain. A few moments past and it never came, instead Lawrence just stood there, a look of concern plastered on his face. He started pacing back and forth, running his slender fingers through his soft, golden hair anxiously. "I.... I... ugh... I don't know... It doesn't seem like....like a good idea... but...." Lawrence mumbled frustrated to himself.

Basil rubbed his hands together nervously as he waited for him to come to a decision. "It's ok... You'd be with me... I'd feel safer with you there anyway... and we'd come right back here..." He tried his best to convince the unstable man, his words seeming to go unnoticed as Lawrence battled with himself. "It's probably not too far away either... and... you could see where I live...".

The look on Lawrence's face would have been enough to shut him up alone as he fiercely stomped towards him, clamping a hand down on his mouth and shoving him to the ground. "Be quiet." His voice was as cold as ice as he pressed Basil against the floor, his fingernails dug into his soft, green cheeks. Lawrence huffed angrily, unsure of himself as he finally spoke "I don't know... I don't know how to... trust you." his eyes shot down to stare into Basil's, there was a sadness behind his current rage "I..... I... really want to....".

Lawrence's angry demeanor suddenly broke as tears filled his eyes. Basil pushed at his hand, surprised when he actually let go and pressed himself against him, his arms softly wrapping around his shoulders. He could feel him tense up at the sudden affection, but he slowly relaxed, melting into Basil's small arms, his own reaching up to finish the embrace.

"Please trust me... I wouldn't hurt you... I..." He thought about what he was saying, wondering if this would be the wrong choice or if it might be just what he needs to say "I... love you, Lawrence..." The words finally spilled out of his mouth and he could feel the other man's breath hitch, his hands squeezing him harder. A long silence filled the room, Basil couldn't tell if he had just made a mistake or not.

Lawrence slowly pushed away to study Basil's face, his own filled with emotions Basil couldn't quite place. He looked as if he were trying to say something, but the words refused to come out. The energy in the room felt thick and strange as they sat in limbo, Basil waiting for the unpredictable response that awaited him.

He recognized the anger before he felt his face collide with hard floor, the rough carpet scratching against his face as he was held down. He could feel him behind him, holding him still, one of his arms painfully wrenched behind his back as the other one was held painfully underneath Lawrence's knee. He could hear the heavy breathing coming from Lawrence, his rage had returned to him at full force.

"You.... You love me...?" He spat, the dangerous tones dripping from his voice sent a chill down Basil's spine. "You.... you can't love me... you don't love me... you're just trying to leave... like everyone else." Basil groaned as his arm was twisted harder, his tiny bones straining against the force "Everyone leaves.... You're not different... You're just like everyone else before you... some of them said they.... loved me..." he scoffed as he yanked back on Basil's hair, pulling his head painfully back "How can I trust you? You're just a lowly weed... trying to drain me... trying to trick people with your beautiful blooms... You're just so tempting..." he pulled harder, feeling a small crunch in Basil's elbow.

He tried to scream, only for it to come out as a loud, pained sob, tears rolling down his cheek as he tried to endure it. "Please...... Lawrence... I'm not... a plant... and... I'm not lying... Please..." he continued to beg, feeling the weight behind him shift, the hand in his hair slowly losing it's force. He started to feel relieved when his face was smashed against the carpet, he could feel the bone in his nose breaking on impact, an intense heat overwhelming the area.

Lawrence scoffed, he sounded disgusted at the display he was witnessing as he lifted Basil's face back up, noticing the blood pooling from underneath him, a new stain to add to the collection. He stood up, taking Basil roughly with him, his grip still on his arm and hair as he threw him back into the chair. He watched as Basil sobbed quietly, the blood from his nose covering most of his face, filling his mouth as he sputtered in anguish.

Basil heard as Lawrence shuffled around for something, too scared to open his eye to peek as he waited for his death, hoping it would be quick. "Maybe... Maybe you can do something to prove it... " Lawrence's voice sounded far away as the ringing in his ears blocked out most of the sound around him. Finally he felt a hand slap down onto his leg, prompting him to open his eye to look.

Lawrence was holding a large pair of hedge trimmers in his hand, a smile on his face as he watched for Basil's reaction. "We can see how far your love goes right now." His voice was smooth and calm, but Basil felt more horrified than ever as he stared down the blades of the trimmers. His left hand was suddenly grabbed and pulled upwards, Lawrence's fingers pushing to part his own. "Maybe the ring finger would be best... I think it would be a good symbol of our...." He paused, his cheeks lighting up slightly as he looked away for a moment "Our relationship...".

Basil could feel the cold sweat beading up on his face and back as he processed what was happening, he had a feeling he knew where this was going and he didn't like it. "Lawrence... I..." He started, but the other man simply shook his head.

"It's ok... It'll be quick... I'll take care of it once it's done and... with the way you heal, it'll be fine..." his smile looked so sweet and loving, but Basil could only feel fear looking at it. "Now... just hold your hand up like this.." Lawrence moved his hand up a little more and spread his fingers wider "You can close your eye if you'd like..." He barely finished his sentence when the sharp blades of the trimmers sliced his finger off cleanly, he could hear it drop to the ground.

His mouth hung open in a silent scream as he doubled forward, the pain streaking up his arm. Lawrence quickly moved to hold him, shushing him softly and rubbing his hair as he listened to Basil's quiet weeping.

"See... It's ok... " Basil held his bleeding hand against his shirt as he sobbed, listening to Lawrence cooing in his ear. "No one's... ever gonna love you more than I do... You know that right, Basil?" Lawrence gently rocked him in his arms to soothe him, but Basil only felt anger welling up inside his stomach, he could feel the plant twisting and writhing within him, ringing just as angrily as he felt.

\-------------------

The medicine Lawrence rubbed on his new stump smelled strongly of juniper and thyme and stung horribly. Lawrence looked... happy, a smile creasing his face as he gently wrapped Basil's wound. He felt spite as he stared at him, trying his best to bottle it up. He had never felt like this before, he's never felt like he could ever... hurt someone before, but here he was, staring at Lawrence like he was a tasty snack.

He stopped suddenly in the middle of his thoughts, remembering he was starving, a low rumble drifting from his middle as he sat patiently. Lawrence must have heard it, his eyes darting over his stomach and then up to his face, noticing the uncomfortable look on it. "We'll get you something to eat... when we get home..." Basil looked at him shocked, he couldn't believe after everything, it all worked. He felt relief rush over him and nodded, forcing a smile as he waited for Lawrence to finish.


	13. sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -

Hey so.... i wont be continuing this story.

Sorry... Btd was really important to me but a lot of drama happened between me and the creator and now just looking at anything about the game makes me really sick.

If you liked Basil though he's going to be in his own horror dating sim called -Misanthropy- and you can check it out here- https://misanthropy-game.tumblr.com/

It's on a temporary hiatus while i finish my other horror game -Purple-. you can check the dev blog out here- http://purple-game.tumblr.com

sorry about all this.


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